Durban - A former oThongathi (Tongaat) pastor who used a scarf to strangle her friend, the wife of her lover, has been sent to prison for 25 years.
Segaree Govender, 47, pleaded guilty in the Durban High Court on Tuesday in terms of a deal with the State. Govender wept as the plea agreement was read into the record.
The former Belvedere, oThongathi, resident has been in custody since her arrest in October 2011 for the murder of Elaine Pillay.
Her accomplice, Cheryl Perumal, had pleaded guilty in 2013 and was sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment, five years of which were suspended for three years, for her role in the murder.
Govender and her husband were pastors at Faith Deliverance Ministries, a church that Pillay had attended. Govender and Pillay had also been friends.
The court heard that Perumal was nine years old when she began living with Govender and her husband, who raised her as their own child.
According to the plea statement, Govender and Pillay’s husband, Thavan, became involved in a romantic relationship for 12 years.
In September 2011, according to the statement, Govender had told Perumal, now 26, that Thavan had instructed her (Govender) to kill his wife, Pillay.
Perumal was allegedly informed that Thavan apparently did not want to divorce his wife for fear of losing his children and residential property, but wanted her “out of the way” so that he could freely conduct his romance with Govender.
Govender said he also threatened to commit suicide should she not execute the plan to kill Pillay.
She then enlisted Perumal’s help to carry out the murder.
According to the plea agreement, Perumal regarded Govender as a mother and was routinely obedient to her.
“She agreed to assist (Govender), afraid of the possible repercussions should she refuse to do so,” the agreement reads.
On October 18, 2011, Govender and Perumal lured Pillay to Govender’s home on the pretext that Govender had broken a leg and required assistance.
When Pillay arrived at the house, Govender was lying in bed.
Pillay approached Govender who then produced a scarf from under her pillow and attempted to strangle her with it.
Perumal helped Govender at this point and a struggle ensued, with Pillay scratching the women.
“(Govender) eventually succeeded in strangling (Elaine) by wrapping a scarf around her neck while Perumal held (Elaine) from behind. (Both women) put (Elaine’s) body into a suitcase and carried it to the road where an unsuspecting neighbour was asked to transport it to a secondary location,” said state advocate, Nadira Moosa, who read the statement before Judge Dhaya Pillay.
“There, (Govender) and Perumal offloaded the suitcase with the body in it and rolled it down a hill behind the Belverton School grounds in (oThongathi).”
The body was removed from the suitcase and left there next to a manhole, where it was discovered a few hours later by a passer-by.
Govender and Perumal were arrested later that day. Thavan was also arrested, but charges were later provisionally withdrawn.
The court also heard that in 2006, Govender’s mother died and she was prescribed sedative medicine for a week.
“(Govender) avers that (Thavan) had used (Govender’s) poor state of health to get closer to her and would visit her in hospital to tell her how much he loved her,” Moosa read.
In February 2010, Govender’s husband fell and broke his hip, resulting in him being hospitalised for a month. Thavan had, during this period, assisted Govender by driving her to hospital to visit her husband, the court heard.
It was during this time, Govender said, that Thavan had exerted pressure on her to divorce her husband, while continually refusing to divorce Pillay. She said she had started divorce proceedings, but later decided not to continue with them.
This apparently angered Thavan and he concocted the plan to kill his wife. Govender believed she was manipulated by Thavan who, she said, abandoned her after her arrest.
She said she was remorseful and wanted to apologise to Pillay’s family, who were sitting in court, and to her two children who no longer had a mother.
She said she had suffered emotionally for the crime she committed and was still on antidepressants.
The State, Pillay’s family and Govender agreed that 25 years was a just sentence.
Speaking outside court, Pillay’s family said her children had been robbed of a mother and now lived with an aunt in Phoenix because Pillay’s husband had since remarried.
Daily News