Cape Town - Mourners were greeted by a tiny white coffin as they came to pay their last respects to six-month old Zahnia Thorne Woodward at her funeral at St Andrew Catholic Church in Ocean View.
Zahnia was shot in Carnation Road, Ocean View, on December 30, while sitting on her father Bradley Robyn’s lap. They were with three of Robyn’s friends, waiting for her mother, Cindy Woodward, to return from work. Pictures of the smiling infant with family and friends were flashed across the projector during the service on Saturday, and a pink Minnie Mouse plush doll and a framed picture of her were next to her coffin.
Congregants sat with red eyes, some struggling to hold back tears as they went up to view the open coffin.
Father Sebastian Pettaphuza, who officiated at the service, said Zahnia’s death was difficult for people to accept. He said her death was a chance for everybody to reflect on their lives.
The residents of Ocean View have been plagued by violence over the years and Pettaphuza reminded people to pray for peace in the area.
“Peace in our community is very important. People fight for their own selfishness and most of them are under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
“Each one of us must respect the lives of others. We need mutual respect in our communities. This is when we will experience joy and happiness.”
He said this respect will lead to peace in the community. “We are here today not to ask why she was killed, but to commit her into God’s hands.”
Jennifer Woodward, Zahnia’s grandmother, paid tribute to the infant. She said that in the days after Zahnia’s death she asked a lot of questions and even hated a lot of people.
“I had arguments with God. His answer to me was that he didn’t send someone to shoot her. Everybody has a choice.”
She added that people asked why Robyn was sitting there with Zahnia and why Woodward wasn’t around when it happened.
She said Robyn was a good father and Woodward was at work.
“We can sit wherever we want to. Bradley and Cindy were good parents.”
She said once the heartache has passed, the memories of Zahnia will remain.
Her message to Robyn and Woodward: “When you miss Zahnia, hold your heart because that is where Zahnia will stay.”
At the end of the service, Robyn carried the coffin to the hearse, while Woodward held on tightly to the framed picture of Zahnia and the Minnie Mouse doll.
Woodward told Weekend Argus she was “happy that my baby is at peace”. But she said she will always miss Zahnia. “I am going to miss my baby’s smile.”
She said Zahnia will be cremated because she wants to keep her ashes in the house so she can always be close to her. She said the family is grateful for all the support from residents over the past few days.
Dan Plato, MEC for community safety, who attended the service, expressed his condolences to the family and said those responsible for her death must be held accountable.
He said Ocean View is one of the known gang areas in the province. He said he can’t be sure if Zahnia was caught in crossfire and he isn’t sure who the bullet was intended for. However, he said nobody has the right to shoot anybody. “We need to know who is giving the orders. They have to have their day.”
But he said there are many residents who are doing tremendous work. He urged people to continue working together.
Lieutenant Colonel André Traut said a 31-year-old man was arrested in Hout Bay and appeared in the Simon’s Town Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. He will remain in custody until his next appearance this week for his bail application.