Three men accused of the brutal murder of former school principal, Gona Pillay, and the attempted murder of her husband, Logie, have been denied bail.
Pillay, 63, and her husband were planning on selling their Silverglen home and let in four people – whom they thought were potential buyers to have a look at the property last month.
But once inside, the group who had asked for cake, turned on the elderly couple.
They stabbed and robbed them before fleeing in their Mercedes-Benz.
Pillay died at the scene and Logie was rushed to hospital.
He has since been discharged. Three men, Lungani “Basil” Underhill jr, Braveman Underhill and Fred “Boy” Msomi have been charged in connection with the attack.
They also face a charge of robbery with aggravating circumstances.
The three appeared in the Chatsworth Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
It is understood that Underhill Jnr, worked for Pam Golding Properties, the estate agency that had the sole mandate to sell the Pillays’ Silverglen home and that Underhill is his cousin.
The men were charged under schedule 6 of the bail legislation, meaning that they had to prove that there were exceptional circumstances warranting their release on bail.
The magistrate ruled that the men, who were all represented by legal aid attorneys, had not shown this and he therefore denied bail.
Brandon Pillay, the chairperson of the Bayview Community Policing Forum, said he believed the community’s presence during court proceedings and their calls for bail to be denied, had played a role in the final outcome.
“I am pleased with the magistrate’s decision,” Pillay said. “It is a victory for the Chatsworth community and it shows us that the Department of Justice takes us seriously and acknowledges our concerns.”
The case will be back in court next month. A fourth suspect is still at large.