Just over eight months ago, during the early hours of Christmas morning, the man accused of hammering his girlfriend to death led police to her decomposed body that was found mangled in a bin packet in the bathroom of her Havenside home.
The victim, 35-year-old Vyaksha Sookdew, was brutally and inhumanely hammered on her head, and her hands and legs were broken. On the evening of Christmas eve, the accused, Sugendran Rodney Pillay, left a local petrol station without paying his bill and was later arrested for petrol theft. While in police custody, he revealed the outrageous information.
Pillay appeared at the Chatsworth Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, 21 August and the matter was adjourned to Thursday,
10 October. Brother of the deceased, Vithashk Sookew, said it has been eight long, heart-wrenching months since they lost their beloved Vyaksha.
“The pain of her absence is a wound that is yet to heal, and the agony of not seeing justice served only deepens our sorrow. She was taken from us in the most horrific way, her life was stolen, and the very fabric of our family has been shattered. Vyaksha was robbed of her dignity and right to live, her death left us grappling with a void that can never be filled. She was bludgeoned to death and robbed of her life, yet the accused stands before us remorselessly while his attorney speaks about the possibility of bail. Vyaksha and her family have the right to justice, and more so, she must be remembered as more than just a victim of a brutal crime. We stand with our family, friends, and the community, united in our demand for justice for Vyaksha. We firmly believe that, for the sake of justice and the safety of our community, the accused must remain in custody. His alleged history of addiction and the apparent lack of any remorse leads us to fear that if released, he may evade justice entirely. Our family has suffered enough and we demand the maximum possible sentence be served,” the heartbroken brother said.
At the accused’s appearance last week, SA Outreach and Emergency Services together with their partners, Westcliff CPF and PT Alarms gathered together at the court in support of the Sookdew family. Head of SA Outreach and Emergency Services legal wing, Leisha Ramlall, who sat in to watch the briefs said: “It is Women’s Month and as a gender-based violence (GBV) team, we know and understand the pain the family is going through. Bail application was before the court and there are no new facts at this time. The matter was adjourned to 10 October for a pre-trial and will be moved to the Durban High Court.”
Durban ambassador for PT Alarms, Fenton Govender said: “As an anti-GBV security company, we have a zero tolerance policy for violence against women and children. We will be watching the case closely alongside SA Outreach and Westcliff CPF.”
Osborne Manuel from the Westcliff CPF said that as the country commemorates Women’s Month, it is sad that so many women are still suffering in violent and abusive relationships. “It is better to return home alive than returning home in a casket. Westcliff CPF stands with the Sookdew family,” he said.
