'That’s my grandson – and my daughter': Jayden-Lee's grandfather breaks silence

As Tiffany Meek stays in jail for her son Jayden-Lee’s murder case, his grandfather has spoken out for the first time about the pain he’s felt since her arrest.

Michael Linton Lucas, Tiffany’s father and Jayden-Lee’s grandfather, offered emotional testimony during a live TikTok show hours after his daughter’s bail bid was denied in the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court.

Meek is charged with murder, crimen injuria, defeating the ends of justice, and attempting to obstruct justice.

The court ruled that she was a flight risk and that her return to the Roodepoort community could incite hostility.

Lucas had offered his home in Verulam, KwaZulu-Natal, as a proposed bail address.

However, questions were raised around whether he had informed neighbours or the landlord. Lucas said he did not alert them at the time, citing the urgency and emotional weight of the situation.

“I didn’t find the time as there was no time to think,” he said.

“It was something that happened spontaneously because they needed the addresses while the proceedings were on. I never took it upon myself to go and inform any neighbours.”

He added: “In this country, anybody who gets bail goes back to their place of residence, you don’t need to go and tell neighbours, you just go back to society. She was going to live in my house and under my rules.”

Lucas acknowledged that the relationship between Tiffany and Jayden appeared close, referencing photographs and videos of them together. But he said the emotional toll of the case has left him numb.

“I felt pain for Jayden, and I felt it when I heard of his passing. If my daughter is found guilty, it’s going to hurt like a ton of bricks,” he said.

“At the end of the day, everyone must take responsibility for their actions.”

He said he travelled to attend Jayden-Lee’s funeral and returned to KwaZulu-Natal the following day.

News of his daughter’s arrest brought deep anxiety, he said.

“That is where I felt a little bit of emotion. I mean, this is my biological daughter. She hasn’t been found guilty. I’m not saying she couldn’t do it or did. But I can’t throw her away.”

Lucas criticised how the bail offer was handled by authorities, saying his landlord lives next door and that their agreement was online.

“He never gave me a chance to present all of that. I said I can send it to you on WhatsApp. I’ve got the record,” he said.

“He just said, ‘No, thank you,’ and cut the call.”

Lucas said he believed the State used the Verulam offer against Meek as a flight risk.

He maintained that the offer was made in good faith to give his daughter the chance to defend herself with dignity.

“It’s been eating at me as a father. It’s horrible to see the comments that are out there. Society has already crucified her,” he said.

“I haven’t commented until now. This is the first time I’m going live.”

He recalled his own criminal past, sharing that he had served 12 years of a 20-year sentence after shooting someone who had stabbed another man during an altercation at a nightclub in Johannesburg.

“I know the justice system. People can say, ‘like father, like daughter,’ but that’s unfair. Let’s look at her life and personal circumstances,” he said.

Lucas also spoke about his relationship with Jayden-Lee, which he described as long-distance.

He said the last time he spoke to his grandson was during a call on New Year’s Day in 2024, when the clock struck midnight.

“Jayden came to Durban when he was a baby. He was with his father, Levi, and they lived in my house. We had golden moments with them,” he said.

“Tiffany’s first baby died. We buried him. I carried the little coffin.

“I am hurt. Whether Tiffany goes to jail or not, I am going to visit her. Even though I don’t know where her life is going to end up.”

He said he has spent the last five years speaking to young people about personal transformation, long before his daughter became an accused.

“I used to have bitterness towards people, but one day God showed me, this person was once a baby. He was born. He didn’t just land on the street,” he said.

Lucas said while the public is right to demand justice, people should remember they are dealing with real human beings.

“What do we do with Tiffany as a human being? Let’s say she’s guilty. She gets life. What then? What do we do with her from there?”

mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za