It was a black Christmas for the Sookdew family, when the decomposed body of Vyaksha was discovered in a bin bag at her Havenside home
The man accused of bludgeoning his Havenside girlfriend, Vyaksha Sookdeo (35), to death with a four-pound hammer was denied bail at the Chatsworth Magistrate’s Court on Friday, 5 January.
Sookdew’s body was found on Christmas Day, mangled in a bin bag in the bathroom of her home with her hands and legs broken. The accused, Sugendran Rodney Naicker from Harley Street, will reappear in court on 16 February.
The news of Sookdew’s murder reached National headlines when media broadcasting channels flocked to court to report on the bail application.
A host of community members, security companies, non-profit organisations, community police forums and politicians supported the placard demonstration that was arranged by the victim’s family.
Naicker was arrested by SAPS Bayview on Christmas Eve for petrol theft. It is alleged that he used his brother’s VW Golf vehicle to fill fuel and fled without paying. Some time later, he went back to the same petrol station in Bayview with the deceased’s vehicle.
The petrol attendant, who noticed him from the previous time, alerted police and Naicker was apprehended. While in custody, he allegedly confessed to police that he had murdered his girlfriend and led them to the home.
Communications officer for SAPS Bayview, Warrant Officer Collin Chetty, said: “Police are investigating a case of murder. The victim’s decomposed body was found at 1am on Christmas Day at her home in Havenside.”
Tashleen Kasipershad, cousin of the deceased and family spokesperson, said that their family wants justice for what has happened.
She said: “Our family is pleased with the court’s decision to deny bail to the accused. The magistrate’s judgement was articulate and properly considered the seriousness of the matter. This has given Vyaksha’s family some consolation and reaffirms our hopes that there will be justice for Vyaksha. We are also very grateful for the support from the community at large.”
Sookdew was employed as an instrumentation technician at AECI Mining Chemicals.
“She was a person who was full of life, intelligent and beautiful with a generous heart. She lit up rooms with her laughter and cheer. She will live on in our hearts in this way. She was robbed of a bright future and snatched away from her loved ones in a brutal and violent manner. We want justice to take its course and we also want to create awareness to encourage women, who are experiencing domestic violence, to seek help,” the distraught cousin said.
Magistrate Naresh Bhika said that there is no doubt that the release of the accused on bail will upset the public’s confidence in the court’s system, therefore, bail was undoubtedly denied.
According to the evidence led by investigating officer, Warrant Officer Elizabeth Ramrattan, the accused confessed to committing the crime on 21 December 2023 and allegedly sent a message to the victim’s employer on 22 December 2023, informing them that Sookdew will not be attending work and will be taking her mother to hospital.
Head of the legal wing of SA Outreach and Emergency Services and the victim’s representative, Attorney Tymara Samuel, said that they have been instructed by the family of the victim to assist in this matter.
“An online petition was created by the organisation in support of bail for the accused being denied. All signatures were handed to the magistrate on the date of the accused’s appearance. We ask that the community respect the privacy of the victim’s family during this difficult time. We want to thank all those who signed the petition in support,” she said.
If anyone has any information regarding the case, they can contact the investigating officer, Warrant Officer Elizabeth Ramrattan, on 083-798-2115 or call Crime Stop on 08600-10111 (toll-free).
