When tempers rule the thunee table, violence wins the hand

THUNEE, the beloved homegrown card game of KwaZulu-Natal's Indian community, has always been more than a pastime.

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It is a cultural anchor, a tradition that has carried families and friends through generations, uniting them around tables filled with laughter, banter and playful rivalry.

Yet, in one shocking incident, thunee has been 4-balled. A young man, Keith Govender of Westcliff, Chatsworth, now lies in hospital fighting for his life after being stabbed in the head during what should have been a friendly game.

He has undergone brain surgery and remains on a ventilator, his fate uncertain.

This tragedy forces us to confront a painful truth: when tempers rule the thunee table, violence wins the hand.

What was meant to be a celebration of community became a battleground, exposing the fragile line between fun and fury.