Family prepares funeral for mom who died fleeing violent Springfield protests

Published Mar 26, 2019

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Durban - The family of a woman who died after falling through a roof at China Mall in Springfield while fleeing violent protests were on Wednesday making funeral arrangements while trying to come to terms with her tragic death.

Anitha Premdaw, 48, is a mother of four who leaves behind a husband, three sons and a teenage daughter.

She and four others had climbed on a roof at China Mall on Tuesday to escape violent protestors. She died after falling through plastic roof sheeting.

Premdaw of Mount Moriah near Duffs Road was employed as part of the cleaning staff at the Mall on Inanda Road. Before this, she was self-employed going door to door selling accessories. 

Her relative Zubeida Gangiah said Premdaw had been employed in March and was looking forward to her first pay cheque.

Gangiah said she had left home early for work and when she got there protests had erupted outside the mall.

"People were panicking. The staff left the mall because they feared for their lives. They heard gunshots. We heard that Anitha was locked inside the mall when the guards pulled down the shutter doors. She feared for her life and used the exit route on the roof," Gangiah said.

Her son Ritesh who works in one of the shops at the mall got near the premises but the area was cordoned off by police. 

Gangiah said friends then informed Ritesh that his mother had fallen down and should go in and check. 

"It was an agonising experience for Ritesh to have to identify his mother in that state. When the police brought him home he was inconsolable," Gangiah said. 

Premdaw's husband Vikash, her sons Ashlyn, Nigel and Ritesh were at the Gandhi Hospital making funeral arrangements and could not be reached for comment. She also has a daughter Thineel,15, was too distraught to speak. 

The post mortem had been done on Tuesday morning.

Daily News

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