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Murdered Stellenbosch student Hannah Cornelius’ cousin Lali van Zuydam has started a fundraising campaign to help Cheslin Marsh, who was also attacked the night Hannah was killed, get a hearing aid.
Hannah and her friend Cheslin, also a student, were hijacked and abducted in the early hours of 26 May 2017.
Cheslin was viciously assaulted and left for dead. As well as head injuries and a broken arm sustained in the assault, Cheslin also lost the hearing in his left ear.
Lali told radio station Cape Talk she’d started a crowdfund for Cheslin on Backabuddy. Cheslin can’t afford a hearing aid and hasn’t been able to continue studying since the attack, she says.
“At first we made the target R15 000 so we could support him. But so many people got on board when they heard of the project we’ve raised R20 000.
“We’ve decided to put any additional funds into the Hannah Cornelius Foundation and use that money to help Cheslin go back to university next year to resume his studies.”
When Charnaé Pieterse from the Ear Institute in Belville, Cape Town, heard of the Backabuddy campaign for Cheslin, the institute decided to sponsor Cheslin’s hearing aid, as well as a comprehensive hearing test.
A grateful Lali says they’ll now use all the funds raised for Cheslin’s hearing aid to pay his outstanding medical bills, as well as help get him back to university.
Since speaking to Cape Talk, Lali says more than R20 000 has been raised and the target has once again increased to R30 000.
Judgement in the Hannah Cornelius murder trial is expected today.
