On Monday, February 10, two men appeared in the Lutsville court in connection with the death of 33-year-old Grant Cloete of the same town.
The case has been postponed until February 24 for a formal bail application. The accused are facing charges of premeditated murder after allegedly stabbing Cloete with a sharp object on Friday 7th February, around 11 p.m. According to his guardian, Sara Bakamela, Grant passed away in the early hours of Saturday at about 01 am in the morning. “What saddens me deeply,” she shared, “is that the ambulance only arrived four hours after being called.”
But Grant Cloete’s story is not just one of tragedy—it is one of transformation, resilience, and second chances.
Like many young people today, Grant found himself lost in the streets after life took an unfair turn. He was raised by his grandmother, and when she passed away, he had nowhere to go. As a teenager, he had to survive on his own, often making choices that led him down a troubled path—stealing, breaking into homes, and doing whatever it took just to get by.
Sara Bakamela had been watching him from a distance.
“I saw the troubled boy behind the actions, the pain behind his choices he made”. “One day, i decided to sit him down and talk to him”. “I just felt that he didn’t belong on the streets,” she said, her voice heavy with emotion. At 17, Grant finally opened up to her, he spoke of a childhood filled with abandonment and loss — his mother had left him in his grandmother’s care, and when his grantmother passed away, he was left with nothing.
No home, no food, no guidance.
He became family.
Sara made a decision that would change both of their lives—she gave him a home, and something remarkable happened: Grant changed overnight.
He went from being a troubled street kid to someone who dedicated himself to helping others. He started recovering stolen goods from criminals and returning them to their rightful owners. He became a protector, a helper—someone people could trust.
For Sara, losing him in such a brutal way is unbearable. “He died as the person he had worked so hard to become. He was not perfect, but he tried. And that’s more than many ever get the chance to do.” Grant’s story is one of pain and hardship, but it is also one of hope—a reminder that with a little kindness and a second chance, lives can be changed.
And sometimes, the ones who were once lost become the ones who save others.
