Top pupil mourns slain ex-principal

‘GONA Pillay made magic at Southlands Secondary School,” said Kwazulu-natal’s top matric achiever of 2007, Wayne Frederick.

Those sentiments were shared by a number of former pupils who attributed their success to the guidance of the principal at the Chatsworth school.

Pillay, 63, who had retired, was brutally murdered on Wednesday night when people came to her Silverglen home pretending to be interested in buying it.

It is believed that Pillay and her husband, Logie, an engineer, opened the doors to the suspects after being contacted by an estate agent, who set up the meeting that would turn into a bloodbath.

Inside, the men produced knives and attacked the couple. Pillay died in the bathroom while Logie, who alerted security, is in critical condition in hospital.

The suspects left in the couple’s Mercedes-benz car, which was later found in umbumbulu, south-west of Durban.

Frederick, who made headlines a decade ago when he topped the province with his outstanding matric results, told the Tribune Herald that Pillay had been a driving force in his life.

“Her goal for me was to be number one in the province. When it happened, she told me ‘I told you so’,” Frederick said.

He said he could not believe the way in which his mentor and her husband had been attacked. “They were harmless, elderly people. What could they have done to be placed in such a situation?”

Frederick credited Pillay with building the school’s academic reputation.

“Southlands h ad limited resources but she made no excuses, took the little she had and achieved the impossible.”

Pillay worked as a teacher at the school from 1985 and was principal from 1997 until she retired in 2013.

Southlands principal, Daya Pillay, said Gona Pillay had set the foundation for the school’s excellent matric results over the years. Southlands’ pass rate never dropped below 80%.

Lotus FM DJ Enrico Pillay said he met the girl who would become his wife, under the watchful eye of Pillay in the 1990s. “She was my geography teacher, and I needed to catch up with work. During class, she seated me next to the girl who became my wife,” he said.

Halima Patel, who works for a royal family in Dubai, lauded Pillay for her approachable nature.

“She made it easy for pupils to come to her for advice. She knew everyone by name and would remember them even years later.

“She would discuss our lives and beam with pride when we told her about our achievements,” she said.

SAPS spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said a man was arrested on Thursday in connection with the murder and would appear in the Chatsworth Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.