The life of a devout 70-year-old Sai devotee was snatched from the grasp of her family after she was caught in the middle of a shooting between Montford residents in Chatsworth, outside Durban, and hijackers, on Thursday.

The incident has caused mass outrage at the sad state of crime in South Africa- a country where innocent lives are tragically lost due to the devious actions of others.

It is alleged that on that fateful day, shortly after a courier van was hijacked on Road 713 in Montford, members of the community gave chase with a gunfight ensuing.

Caught in the crossfire was Dhanlutchmee Pillay, affectionately known as Radha, a grandmother, who was purchasing vegetables from a local vendor before she was shot in the abdomen by a stray bullet that would later prove fatal despite her being taken to a local hospital.

Pillay’s devastated niece, Sashni Ellary, spoke to the Rising Sun about her aunt. She says that Pillay was just a month shy of celebrating her 71st birthday. Heartbroken, Ellary processes the loss of her aunt.

“It is hard to wrap our heads around the fact that somebody, who is a granny, a great granny, a mum- someone who does not generally leave the house to go out, can pass on in such a manner. That is how unsafe the world is- a 70-year-old, an innocent bystander, can just get shot,” she tells the publication.

Pillay leaves behind her three children, seven grandchildren, and a great-grandchild. The deeply spiritual Sai devotee had visited India on numerous occasions. She worked in a car seat manufacturing company before retiring and was a prominent member of a senior citizens group before the Covid-19 pandemic.

“She went shopping with one of her sisters at the Chatsworth Centre. On their way back, they wanted to stop for vegetables. My cousin was parked in the car outside. There is a little tent close to her home that sells vegetables. That was when the courier vehicle was hijacked and the whole chase ensued. During the chase, a stray bullet hit her. We do not know who it was and we do not want to speculate. While we want justice, we do not know the details. We still have to cope with the loss that we have been through. Our goal as a family is not justice, it is to be able to get through the grief that we are going through currently,” explains Ellary, while trying hard to hold back tears for her lost loved one.

The 36-year-old adds that her aunt was a loving mother and a wonderful person. On the morning before her passing, Pillay, and the rest of her group, engaged in a spiritual reading before leaving home.

“She was the humblest of people and was very strong in her beliefs. The entire neighbourhood was in attendance for a candlelight vigil held last week. It is so heartbreaking that someone like that had to go this way. She was very independent and had such a spark to life. She was the matriarch of our family,” says Ellary, proudly reminiscing on her beloved aunt.

Her bereaved community and family came together in a wonderful outpouring of love, respect, and shared grief during a candlelight vigil on Friday with candlelight illuminating the driveway of her home as those in attendance joined in prayer and spoke of the profound effect she had on the lives of everyone that knew her.

“There are a lot of speculations and half-truths going around everywhere. It is not as dramatic as people make it out to be. People need to be a bit more respectful. She went into surgery at the RK Khan Hospital where the staff and hospital members were absolutely brilliant. I cannot thank them enough, from the time she got there, they treated her with absolute urgency. There was not a long waiting period, they took her straight into surgery. The doctors and surgeons did everything they could to help her. Even when they transferred her to ICU, there were a lot of family members, who were waiting in the hospital, and they allowed us to go in and see her.

“I cannot commend the staff of RK Khan Hospital Trauma Unit and surgeons enough, even the ICU staff. Honestly, it was the best service we could get from a public hospital. We always hear stories about public hospitals, in our experience, we cannot thank the staff enough. As a family, we appreciate all the support in terms of presence, wishes, and those on social media that have sent their loving messages,” says an emotional Ellary.

According to KZN police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda, Chatsworth police are actively investigating a case of murder.

“It is alleged that the victim exited a car, and thereafter, there were gunshots. Reports indicate that the victim discovered that she had a gunshot wound on her right and left side of the stomach when she was undressing at home and was taken to hospital for medical attention, where she was declared dead,” confirms Netshiunda.

Pillay was laid to rest on Saturday.