Daughter’s killer must pay the price
ANGUISH OVER 3 MURDERS
EVERY day Charmaine Pillay expects her daughter to burst through the front door, smiling and laughing like she usually did, but then reality hits.
Her child, Annelene, was shot five times outside her workplace in Rossburgh last December allegedly by her former boyfriend, Tyrone Pillay, who stalked, harassed and threatened her with murder.
CCTV footage of the incident went viral on social media, sparking outrage.
Annelene’s mother and her father, Lincoln, who were part of a demonstration outside the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, told POST they felt relieved when Tyrone abandoned his bail application.
They said not even his tears, which he wiped away while in the dock, could sway their feelings for what he had allegedly done.
“I watched him wipe his eyes, while standing in the dock as if he was remorseful but it’s just a show.
“We are happy he abandoned his bail application because he is a threat to society. He needs to own up and do his time. We want him to get life without parole (if found guilty),” said Charmaine.
She said every day she waited for her 27-year-old daughter, a customer services controller at a shipping company, to return home but that would never happen.
They feel comforted by their memories of her.
“Every day after work she would run down the driveway and burst through the doors smiling and laughing. She was so bubbly. We talk about her all the time and that keeps us going.”
The couple have two other daughters.
Women’s rights activist Debbie Travisan, who was among the protesters, said she had been alerted to the family’s case by Kim Martins, who is part of the Reeva Steenkamp Foundation.
Steenkamp was shot dead by her lover, Olympian and Paralympian Oscar Pistorius.
“This was a terrible crime and we want the family to know they are not alone. We also want to remind them to stay strong in the fight for justice.”
Protester, Vinesh Sanker said: “We need proper sentences. A heinous act should not go unpunished.
“We need better gun control laws and we need justice to work for our people and not the criminals.”
The accused, who was remanded into custody, will appear in court on Friday.