Durban - A Chatsworth activist who took the stand in the Durban High Court on Thursday during sentencing arguments in the murder trial of Baby X, called for the toddler's mother to be sentenced to life arguing that the community was still reeling from the toddler's cruel death.
Former Chatsworth ward councillor Brandon Pillay testified in aggravation of sentence for Baby X's mother who was in September found guilty of murdering the toddler in 2014.
He said the community, who had protested when the woman and her mother - Baby X's grandmother - were arrested in connection with her, would only be satisfied if the court handed down the maximum sentence.
The grandmother died of natural causes earlier this year while awaiting trial in Westville prison.
Independent Media is not naming Baby X or her mother to protect Baby X's two younger siblings.
The court had previously heard that during the toddler's short life on earth she was beaten, starved, burnt with cigarettes, had chilli powder put in her nappy and tied to a bed at night by her grandmother and mother.
Pillay said the community if Chatsworth found it hard to accept and understand what happened.
"It hit home. This was an innocent child," he said.
Pillay added that the community also felt that they had let the child down.
But he also pointed to how the community rallied to organise the funeral which had about 2000 people attending it.
"People sobbed uncontrollably from the time they arrived to the time they left," he said.
Pillay was quizzed on whether he was a law expert by defence advocate, Murray Pitman, and conceded that he was not.
Pitman then pushed Pillay on whether he would accept a lesser sentence, Pillay said he would.
Asked by Pitman if he would encourage people in Chatsworth to accept the sentence, the activist replied that he would do so.