The king of the famous Crown Butchery has fallen, and the effects of the loss have rippled through Salt River.
Abdullah Abbas, the owner of the famous family-owned butchery and considered by many to be a “pillar in the community”, was laid to rest on Sunday.
Those who knew him say he always gave extra and was always ready to help those in need.
As news of his death spread quickly on Sunday, people from all over the city flocked to his Goldsmith Road home, just metres away from the butchery he started more than 40 years ago.
“I am still not sure how many people actually came to the janazah, but it was huge, and they always say the size of your janazah is a clear indication of the type of person you were,” says the butcher’s son, Anees Abbas, a well-known football coach in the community.
Even the final prayer and farewell for Mr Abbas at the Tennyson Street mosque was delayed as mourners crammed in to pay their last respects.
In the days following the funeral, Anees says the family heard about the many people his father helped.
“I was in the shop and somebody walked in, greeted and said shukran for what my dad has done. We only then found out that he was busy supporting a feeding scheme in another community, but that was the type of person he was known to be.
“We definitely plan to carry on his legacy because he was truly a legend.”
People took to social media to pay their respects, and Ashraf Franks wrote: “A true community man and a the true community butcher. Crown Butcher felt more like a home to many people and Boeta Dulla was known for helping anything and anyone.”
And Fareeda Thomas said: “He was really a pillar of strength for a lot of people and for the community. Everybody knows Boeta Dulla, and we all will miss seeing him in the butcher with his bubbly personality. Always good memories of him.”
Mr Abbas enjoyed spending time with his family, and that always involved a game of dominoes. He belonged to the Legacy Domino Club and also played for the Sporting Boys Domino Club, once located in a garage in Fenton Road.
The Abbas family have invited the community to a special prayer at the Tennyson Street mosque on Friday August 16.
