Murder trial evidence ‘difficult’
REBUILDING their lives after losing a wife and mother to murder has not been easy, but Gona Pillay’s family are finding comfort in each other.
Pillay’s son, Dhashogan, said they were trying to live the way she would have wanted them to.
“We treat every day on its merits, but we are joyful we have family and extended family who have been extremely supportive and caring,” he said.
Dhashogan spoke on behalf of his siblings, Abiseshen and Thamona.
“We did seek medical assistance (after her death) in the form of counselling, but we are at a stage where we celebrate our mom’s life, her contributions, and the legacy she leaves behind.
“She is in our thoughts, our conversations, and she filters the way we see life.”
He said that it had been difficult for them to hear the evidence during the trial, which started in May.
“It was hard not to become emotional over what the accused brought to court. It was extremely difficult when they stated that Mr and Mrs Pillay were like a mother and father to them, yet they still went to their default settings as criminals and went ahead with their plans to murder.
“It makes one think about our values as a society. We have witnessed the accused turn and change their version of events three times, which indicated they were clearly guilty.
“However, we respected the court’s process and the court did a good job to date in holding the three accused accountable for their criminal actions.”
He said he and his siblings would not forgive or pardon the incident and the killers as they took away a much-loved woman from them and society.
Speaking on crime, Dhashogan said: “The reality is that we stay in a very violent society. The statistics are the facts, and at some point, you need to come to the reality that crime will touch you.
“Crime is inevitable in South Africa, so we have to just become more cautious in the way we carry out our day-to-day activities.”
Dhashogan added that since his parents were attacked in 2017, Pam Golding, the real estate agency which one of the accused Basil Underhill worked for, had distanced themselves from the family.
Pillay’s husband of almost 40 years, retired educator Loga, said he felt his children’s pain every day.
“My wife shared a strong, deep bond with our children and grandchildren. She always made it her duty to go to our kids in Joburg.
“My kids are holding themselves together because they need to be strong for me but I understand their pain.
“Dhashogan and his mother were the closest. He lived in Durban, so every week he would visit us for chicken curry.
“He would come home and ruffle my wife’s hair and play fight with her. She was his rock, the lady that he had known for 35 years and she was snatched away.”
He said the five-week-long trial had also taken a toll on him.