27-Year-Old Man Found Guilty of Murder After Stabbing 44-Year-Old Mother 26 Times in Durban
- Uveer Jaganath appeared before the Durban Regional Court on 29 September 2026, charged with the murder of his mother
- Jessica Jaganath (44) was killed in the family's Clare Hills home in May 2021, days before Mother's Day and the day before Uveer's birthday
- Uveer had pleaded not guilty, claiming a drug-induced blackout, but the court found him to be a dishonest witness whose accounts were contradictory
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Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.
DURBAN — Uveer Jaganath broke down in tears on Tuesday as Magistrate Sophie Reddy found him guilty of murdering his mother, Jessica Jaganath, in the Durban Regional Court.
Uveer shook his head as the judgment was delivered, then turned to look at his family in the public gallery before being escorted to the holding cells by his instructing attorney. His crying remained audible in the courtroom as proceedings continued with other matters.
The 27-year0old Uveer was found guilty of murdering his 44-year-old mother in May 2021, just days before Mother's Day and the day before Uveer's birthday. He was a third-year student at Varsity College at the time.
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How the court reached its verdict
Reddy determined that Uveer had the necessary criminal capacity at the time of the attack and acted with deliberate intent.
Of the three people present in the Clare Hills family home, only Uveer went to the kitchen, retrieved a knife and stabbed his mother in her bedroom. He then inflicted wounds on himself in what the court concluded was an attempt to construct a defence. The court also noted that he made no effort to assist his mother after the assault.
Uveer had pleaded not guilty, telling the court that hours before the incident he had snorted three to four grams of cocaine and smoked dagga joints and cigarettes laced with cocaine. He claimed to have no memory of events following a heated argument with his mother, which reportedly started after she discovered cigarettes in his bag.
Reddy rejected that account, describing Uveer as a poor witness whose version of events differed from what he told others on the day of the incident. She found his only explanation for the memory gaps was that the events had taken place three years prior, and she determined he had been dishonest in several respects, including his failure to mention drug use to anyone present that day.
The late Andy Jaganath, Uveer's grandfather, had told police in 2021 that Uveer said Jessica had stabbed herself and then stabbed him, claiming this occurred after Andy found him with a bloodied knife. Andy's statement was found to be reliable and consistent with other testimony.
Sentencing proceedings will begin on 12 November 2026.
Other stories of mothers being killed
- An Mpumalanga daughter allegedly plotted her mother's murder to cash in on a R40,000 funeral policy.
- A 47-year-old Eastern Cape man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for murdering his 68-year-old mother.
- A 48-year-old man was arrested after his 82-year-old mother was found dead with injuries to her head and face.
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Source: Briefly News
