DURBAN: Angela Pillay, who was asleep when her Phoenix home caught alight in the earlier hours of Saturday, will be laid to rest Wednesday.
Her funeral procession will begin at her home on Clare Croft Place in Longcroft before the church service at the Upper Room Tabernacle on Viewhaven Drive, Foresthaven, which will commence at 11am. Thereafter, the cremation will occur at the Verulam Crematorium at 1.30pm.
Emergency workers raced to the Pillay’s home when they were alerted around 6am on Saturday.
Family, community members and some of the first emergency workers, who arrived at the home, attempted to pull Pillay from her bedroom that was engulfed by flames. But their attempts were in vain.
It is believed that she was asleep when the blaze began.
It took firefighters about 30 minutes to eventually bring the fire under control.
Only then was Pillay’s badly burned remains retrieved.
Police investigation into the cause of the fire continues, they have since opened an inquest docket.
Community leader and former Councillor Ronnie Veeran said Pillay’s death had sent shockwaves through the community.
Veeran said Pillay, 67, was a respected person in her tightly knitted community.
“Senior citizens are always great assets to a community. It is an absolute horror to lose someone in the circumstances in which she (Pillay) died.
“It is good to see people in the community rallying together and offering support to the deceased’s family,” said Veeran.
Pillay’s son-in-law, Donaven Mannaru said: “On behalf of the Pillay family and loved ones we extend our thanks and gratitude to everyone who has assisted us during this tragic time.”