CHATSWORTH – The 2016 festive season was not all joy and revelry for two families that lost their beloved children in the mayhem of it all.
Instead of recovering from the festivities of Christmas, a Chatsworth family buried their 15-year-old son, Brentley Caleb Pillay, who was stabbed in the chest during a Christmas Eve party. It is believed the teen had gone out with a few friends and family to celebrate the festive season, when an altercation between a group of people in the Bayview area broke out. Pillay was said to have been caught in the middle of it all and was fatally stabbed in his chest, which resulted in his death. He was laid to rest on December 28.
Station commander for Bayview SAPS, Col Balram, confirmed the incident and said that no arrested have been made as yet. “The teen was fatally stabbed on Christmas Eve. A case of murder opened. Investigations are on-going.”
Just two days after the teen’s killing, another child’s life was taken in Cape Town, when a six-month-old baby girl was caught in the crossfire between ruthless gangsters in Carnation Road, Ocean View. Zahnia Thorne Woodward was sitting on her dad’s lap, when she was hit in the back of her head and the bullet exited through her forehead. It was alleged that the gunshots were meant for a drug dealer across the road.
A 31-year-old suspect was arrested and will appear in court today. Meanwhile, an outpour of messages of both rage and anguish at the killing of these innocent children continues to dominate social media.