As his family struggles to accept his death, preparations are under way to repatriate the body of Luke Smith, 21, who is believed to have died as a result of injuries sustained in an altercation on Sunday outside a nightclub in Wellington, New Zealand.
Luke’s uncle, Arnold Arends, from Breidbach outside Qonce, said he was shocked to hear from the Wellington media there had been a quarrel before Smith’s death.
“He was a very good boy. He visited here during holidays, both his parents are from here. I have never heard of him being involved in a fight.”
Smith, originally from Qonce, spent most of his life in the Western Cape.
In February, he and his mother, Natasha, emigrated to New Zealand to join his father Brian, originally from Duncan Village. The family moved from Qonce to Cape Town in 2001.
In November 2023, Brian moved to Wellington to work as a warder at a prison.
This week, news of Smith’s death sent shock waves through his SA family.
Brian said from Wellington that they were seeking justice for their son as the alleged perpetrator was out on bail.
He is expected back in court on October 21.
The incident happened at about 3.15am on Sunday at a bus stop in Courtenay Place in Wellington’s CBD.
“We are devastated.“On Saturday night, he was out with a South African guy who was here on a rugby trip,” Brian said.
“They went to the CBD to enjoy themselves. They met another friend from Durban who is also here in Wellington.”
Brian explained they had been approached by an unknown guy.
“The incident happened outside the club….
“His friend tried to assist.
“Police were called and they were able to arrest the alleged perpetrator on the scene.”
Brian said they were told the extent of Smith’s injuries on Monday after a brain scan.
“They did the scan at Wellington Regional Hospital and informed us of severe brain damage.
“We were called to the hospital and the doctors told us he couldn’t breathe on his own. My wife and I decided to switch off his life support.”
Brian said his son was a disciplined man.
“From a young age, we taught him right from wrong. “He was always surrounded by his friends and had a carefree spirit. “He always had a smile and attracted new people.”
However, despite leaving SA for greener pastures, Brian said Smith had become frustrated with New Zealand and wanted to return home.
“He wanted to do a trade course this side, but unfortunately we were told international students can’t do short courses. “He would need to do a diploma or degree course, which was a bit frustrating for him because he was not good academically. He wanted to become an electrician.”
Now the family is costing the price of repatriation.
A fundraiser to assist the family with the repatriation, travel costs and mental health counselling has been launched by The Blackhouse, which describes itself as representative of the wider African community in Wellington.
Brian said they were receiving financial assistance from New Zealand-based SA NPOs and a meeting had been scheduled with the SA High Commission for Friday to discuss repatriating his son’s body. “The government also has processes in place. “There is money from the department of justice but there are processes to access those funds.
“Some private businesses have also offered to assist,” he said.
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