The first-year student from Stellenbosch University who was murdered on Wednesday has been described as a kind soul by his family.
Jesse Mitchell, from Centurion in Gauteng, was living at the student residence Nooitgedacht in Stellenbosch and turned 19 on the day that he died.
Mitchell, a Computer Science student was fatally stabbed on Borchers Street in Stellenbosch at around 3am.
Speaking to IOL on Friday, Jesse’s older brother Joshua Mitchell described his sibling as a gentle soul.
He said that his brother turned 19 on the day he was brutally murdered.
Jesse was one of five children.
Three of his siblings - Aaron, Joshua and Lara- are all working abroad.
He has a younger brother, Jonathan, 17, who lives in Centurion in Gauteng with their mother Michelle.
Paying tribute to his brother Joshua said:
“Jesse was the best of us. He had an intense drive to succeed at everything he tried. He was incredibly intelligent and athletic. He loved going to church and to gym and was extremely passionate about photography and editing.”
While Jesse was studying, he was also working at a photo and video editing company part time.
“I believe he was doing really well at both work and with his studies. He was nervous about exams but I think he was very excited to finish his fist year,” Joshua said.
Jesse matriculated from Zwartkop Christian School and his siblings were always proud of him, however, the news of his death hit the family hard.
“We found out about his death the afternoon of the 16th [October] at about 2pm. Jesse had been noticed to be missing by some of his friends on campus and one of his friends went to the police station and ended up identifying Jesse's body.
“Jesse's girlfriend called my oldest brother as soon as she heard and he called us all to let us know. As a family we are devastated, he was sweet and kind and to think of him dying a violent and senseless death is absolutely heartbreaking to say the very least.”
While the family are trying their utmost with their new reality, Joshua said that he may not be able to speak on behalf of everyone, but he believes the genuine kindness Jesse showed everyone he cared for would be missed the most.
Jesse’s family in Canada have also started a GoFundMe page to raise funds to help with funeral expenses and other associated costs.