Previn Pillay, 23, was killed in 2020. Six years later, his killers have been brought to book
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THE father of Previn Pillay, a murdered University of the Western Cape graduate, said his family felt a sense of justice following the sentencing of his son’s killers.
Dennis Pillay told the POST’s sister publication, the Daily Voice, that the ruling, delivered on March 12 in the Western Cape High Court , marked a significant moment for the family following years of anguish.
His son was killed in December 2020 after leaving home in his Toyota Hilux bakkie.
At the time, Previn’s disappearance sparked an urgent search before the case took a horrific turn a week later.
Police were called to Hazendal train station in Athlone, where a suitcase that had been set alight was discovered.
Inside, officers found the dismembered remains of the 23-year-old.
The discovery led to the arrest of three men: Riefaat Loofer, Glenville Jansen and Franklin van Niekerk.
Loofer received life imprisonment for murder, along with two additional 15-year sentences for robbery and defeating or obstructing the administration of justice. The court ruled that these sentences would run concurrently.
Jansen was also sentenced to life imprisonment for murder. Van Niekerk, meanwhile, was given a 10-year prison term after being convicted of theft.
Despite the sentencing, Pillay said the family continued to struggle with the lack of answers about what happened during his son’s final moments.
He said the pain has been compounded by the fact that the convicted men never fully explained the circumstances surrounding the killing during the court proceedings. As a result, the family may never know the full details of the crime.
According to Pillay, the past five years had been marked by deep emotional trauma as the family tried to cope with the violent loss of their only child.
Previn had recently completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Biodiversity at the University of the Western Cape and was described by his father as a young man with a promising future ahead of him.
For the first nine years of his life, Previn was the couple’s only child, a role that made his loss even more devastating for the family.
While the grief remains, Pillay said the court’s decision had helped bring a measure of closure.
He praised the efforts of the judge, the prosecution team and investigators involved in the case, adding that the outcome reaffirmed the family’s faith in the justice system. The sentencing, he said, allows the family to begin closing a painful chapter in their lives.