'I forgive you,' says father as men accused of killing his son at McDonald's get bail - IOL

"To the person that ended his young life, I forgive you, just as God has forgiven us all."

So said Reinbrecht Piper's father at his son's funeral on Thursday, the same day the two men accused of fatally stabbing the 21-year-old at a McDonald's drive-thru in George were each granted R1,000 bail.

"I hope that he will find God and realise what an enormous tragedy he caused and how many people he hurt with this one cowardly act," his father said in a letter, which Piper's sister Jasmine read to mourners at a packed LifeConnect Garden Route church.

"I spoke to you on the phone on Saturday afternoon and never did I think that it would be the last time we could converse."

Piper, an apprentice at Terayne Electrical, was allegedly stabbed in the chest during an altercation with a group of men at the fast food outlet in Courtenay Street at about 2.25am on Sunday, police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Pojie said.

The deadly brawl was caught on CCTV.

His friends Logan, Marco and Stian carried him to a car and rushed him to George Hospital, where his father said doctors fought for more than an hour to save his life.

But Piper, sadly, never made it home.

McDonald’s SA spokesperson Millicent Maroga said the company was assisting police with their investigation into the incident.

"We are deeply saddened by the tragic incident that occurred at our restaurant in George," Maroga told IOL on Thursday night.

"Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the family, friends, and loved ones of the deceased during this incredibly difficult time.

"We extend our deepest sympathies to all those affected by this loss.

"The safety and well-being of our employees and customers remain our highest priority.

"We are fully cooperating with police as they conduct their investigation into this matter."

Reinbrecht Piper, 21, stands beside a bakkie in the veld. He was stabbed to death at a McDonald's drive-thru in George on Sunday

Police first arrested five men in connection with the incident, but later released two.

Justin Jafta, 28, and Craig Nelson, 27, face charges of murder and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

They were granted bail when they appeared before the George Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, where they were represented by their own attorneys.

At the same time, the same three friends who had fought so hard to save Piper’s life were at his funeral, this time with nothing left to do but say goodbye.

One by one, close family members also stepped forward to light candles beside a small framed photograph of Piper at the foot of the stage.

Above them, a large screen showed Piper smiling in an open field, with the dates April 25 2005 to September 27 2026.

One of his sisters told mourners about the day she lay in hospital after an operation and her brother sat with her.

"He said 'if I could take away all your pain and handle it myself, I would do it in a heartbeat'.

"Those words are just one example of what kind of man my brother was.

"He would always, to the best of his ability, put others before himself without even thinking.

"He was just the perfect brother, I wanted to be just like him."

The McDonald's in Courtenay Street, George, where Reinbrecht Piper was stabbed in the drive-thru at about 2.25am on Sunday. McDonald's said it had secured CCTV footage from that night for the police.

Pastor Paul Williams did not shy away from the pain of losing Piper, telling mourners there was no easy way around the grief.

“The truth is, we're not going to hear his voice again, we're not going to see his face again in this life,” Williams said.

“He deserves to be grieved fully and not managed away just with a verse.

“You've got to mourn, you've got to cry, you've got to let it out.”

He urged mourners to live the way Piper had.

"I'm sure if Reinbrecht could tell you something today, it was to live full," Williams said.

"Don't live with regret, don't live with unforgiveness.

"We had 21 years of his life, but we got his lessons and his love forever."

His mother, Debbie, stood at the pulpit with her notes in her hands, weeping as she spoke.

"If I can read my writing," she said before she began.

"I want to take this opportunity to thank God for the blessing of being mother to my three beautiful children and the gift of the 21 years that I had with my boy child.

"I watched him grow up and he brought so much joy and laughter to our lives.

"I loved that about him, that we were close, that we could talk about anything, and I'm sure there's many things he didn't tell me, but we had lots of conversations."

She spoke of how Piper was always chasing his next side hustle, painting fabric, searching thrift shops for clothes he could rework, and teaching himself to sew on a machine and an overlocker.

He once even helped her take up the hem of a school dress.

"I don't know how to do that," she said.

She said her son was always looking at how he could improve himself and communicate better, and that he had a way of gathering people around him.

"He had time for everybody, he noticed things, and he had empathy for the people in his life," she said.

"It was always a pleasure to have him and his friends come and stay at our house, and I never felt excluded, we could all sit together on the patio and chat and he was always inclusive and loving."

She said she was proud of how hard he had been working at his apprenticeship.

"He was thinking ahead, he had a plan," she said, adding he was collecting tools and learning as much as he could so that he could one day really be successful.

"He had so much ahead of him, so much potential."

She had not seen him for a while since he moved to George, but they spoke often, and he sent her video clips and kept up long conversations with her on WhatsApp.

"I'm so glad that I don't have any regrets, because I reminded him over and over how proud I am of the man that he became," she said.

"I also loved how protective and caring he was about his sisters.

"If I said I was worried about something, I could always depend on him to phone them and chat to them, and it was very special to me that they had such a close and loving relationship, because not all siblings do."

In his letter, Piper’s father, Hennie, remembered him as a son who was always making the family laugh.

"For everybody that knew you, you were like a city on a hill with shining lights," he said.

"Your wonderful sense of humour, your love for your fellow man and your love for Jesus Christ was an inspiration to me."

He recalled how his son, in his own witty way, used to poke fun at his uncle, also Reinbrecht.

He thanked Leslie and Martin, a couple who had given his son a home in a cottage on their farm in Wilderness Heights since December, for rushing to help the young men that night.

"Us meeting you guys was not purely accidental and I believe that it was heaven sent," he said.

"To Logan, Marco and Stian for loading Rein into the car and taking him to George Hospital, I'm so glad that he had friends like you guys in his last moments.

"Once again to Leslie and Martin, who stayed up the whole night to make sure that they were all okay, as well as the difficult job of phoning me with the news of Rein's passing."

He told his son that the family was proud of the man he had become.

"You have crept into all the family's hearts with your loving way and your kind demeanour," he said.

"My son, I know that God called you to be with him and he must have a very special job for you."

His father's letter ended with a promise to his son.

"My son, wait for us at heaven's gates and we will meet you there shortly," he said.

Terayne Electrical said it had attended the service and was saddened by what had happened.

Pojie said the investigation was ongoing.

The accused is due back in court on December 3.