The Scottburgh High Court in KwaZulu Natal has sentenced a Joel Pillay (38) a former security guard to 20 years imprisonment for shooting a man dead during the July unrest in 2021. At the time, Pillay was employed as a supervisor for Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa).

Joel Pillay was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the convicted murderer had been driving along Ireland Street in Verulam on July 12 when he came across Lindani Mthethwa (28). "Pillay, who was driving a marked vehicle owned by a security company, turned his vehicle around and drove back towards Mthethwa. When he was alongside Mthethwa, he lowered the window of his vehicle and shot him in the head. Mthethwa died on the scene," said Ramkisson-Kara. State prosecutor advocate Thabani Buthelezi, led the state's case and shared two testimonies from witnesses who saw the shooting as well as a car tracker report, linked to Pillay's work vehicle. 

Mthethwa, a father of five, was working for Shoprite as a supervisor when he was killed. The court also heard a Victim Impact Statement from the deceased's sister. In her statement, the sister said Mthethwa was a responsible and hard-working person. She said that her family has been financially and emotionally affected. She added that the incident was traumatic, as she still has flashbacks. "The court deviated from the minimum prescribed sentence of life imprisonment because the accused was a first-time offender. Pillay was sentenced accordingly, and the court found him unfit to possess a firearm. The NPA commends the work done by the prosecution and other stakeholders in securing the conviction," Ramkisson-Kara said.