Slain Mitchells Plain teen Chad Basson was given top honours by President Cyril Ramaphosa, who bestowed the Order of Mendi for Bravery award on him on Thursday.
Proud dad Cornelius, 57, smiled from ear to ear but with a tear in his eye as he received the award at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Pretoria.
Three years after his 19-year-old son was brutally gunned down amid a raging gang war, the Lentegeur family say they are honoured that the President acknowledged his sacrifice.
The popular youngster was killed in a drive-by shooting in July 2018 as skollies from the Fancy Boys and Junior Cisco Yakkies fought.
Chad died after bravely shielding his friend from the bullets.
Residents said Chad and his friends, who had been attending a 21st birthday party, might have been mistaken for gangsters.
His death sparked an outcry in Lentegeur as his grieving parents struggled to come to grips with his death.
After Chad was buried, Cornelius along with mom Dawn, 53, started raising questions about the slow pace of the investigation.
The couple discovered that the alleged gunman, Jeffrey “Percy” Afrika, had fled to Port Elizabeth and no attempts were being made to locate him.
The couple took their plight to national police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Khehla Sithole, and the case was reassigned to the Anti-Gang Unit.
Two years later, Afrika was successfully traced and arrested.
On Wednesday, as Afrika appeared in the Mitchells Plain Regional Court for the murder trial, Cornelius flew to Pretoria.
“I always watch the National Orders and went through the criteria list,” says the dad.
“I saw the Order of Mendi for Bravery and thought I should apply for Chad. Years went by and we heard nothing, so we thought we were unsuccessful.
“Until last week when I received communication from the Presidency and they told us he was being granted the silver award.”
The National Orders are the highest awards bestowed on South Africans each year.
The awards recognise the contributions made by individuals towards building a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa as envisaged in the Constitution.
Speaking about the experience, Cornelius says: “It was amazing but I would gladly give it back if I could have my son back.
“My reason for applying was to highlight the plight of our children on the Cape Flats and how many of them die in this senseless violence.”