The family home in Newark.
Image: Dasen Thathiah
What was once a warm family home in Newark, a place filled with laughter, gatherings and generations of memories, has now become a painful reminder of an unthinkable loss.
For the surviving family, it is no longer a place of comfort, but one they struggle to return to after seven loved ones were brutally taken.
Karen Pillay said the home they grew up in now carries a very different weight.
"When I visited there I expected my mother, sister, brother and extended family to be there. It is now just heartsore. When my dad passed away in 1992 my mother built this house.
"My sister and I have not yet decided what we are going to do with the house. At the moment there is nothing we can do because the investigation is ongoing. But we don't want to keep the house. We had so many good memories there, but now it's just painful memories," said Pillay.
Allen Monswamy, with his wife Sandy and children Kraidon and Shamarie were abducted and killed
Image: Supplied
Pillay said she was heartbroken and angry to learn that the person who danced and took a photo with them at a family gathering is the person who killed seven of her family members.
Last week her mother Mooniamma (Genga) Padayachee, 78, brother Gonasagran (Cliffy) Padayachee; sister Sandy Monswamy and her husband Allen, and their children Kraidon and Shamarie; and her aunt Mariamma Appanah, 83, were abducted from their home in Newtown, Newark on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast and killed.
According to police, the victims’ home was broken into and they were abducted. Their bodies were discovered a day later in Melmoth, approximately 200km away. The case came to light on April 22, a Wednesday morning when a domestic worker arrived at the property and found signs of a break-in.
On Tuesday April 28, Linda Blessing Mthiyane, 28, Bongumenzi Mpungose, 27, and Mthandeni Luyanda Mthiyane, 21, appeared in the KwaDukuza Magistrate's Court. The three men face 17 charges, while one faces an additional charge of rape.
The court ruled that images of the accused must be blurred for their protection. All three abandoned their bail applications and are scheduled to return to court on June 23.Pillay said one of the suspects worked for Allen in his maintenance and grass cutting business."
Gonasagran (Cliffy) Padayachee, Mariamma Appanah and Mooniamma (Genga) Padayachee were found dead about 200km from their home in Newark
Image: Supplied
In January Sandy had a Thanksgiving service for her daughter Ricquelle Monswamy, who passed away 18 months ago in an accident. At the function one of the suspects danced with us and took a group photo with us.
"We knew him for a while. He used to come with my brother-in-law to Richards Bay where I live. He and the other employees were treated like family. It is shocking and heartbreaking that someone we knew did something like this," said Pillay.
She questioned why criminals are being given rights and why the court agreed to not show their faces.
"The death penalty needs to be brought back for criminals like these. We want to know why they did this. If it was for money, then why kill them? They should have covered their faces and just robbed them," she said.
Pillay said the family faces a long and difficult journey before finding any sense of closure. Investigators traced the suspects to the Hlomendlini area, where two individuals were arrested. One of the suspects was found in possession of a cellphone belonging to one of the victims.
Linda Blessing Mthiyane, Bongumenzi Mpungose and Mthandeni Luyanda Mthiyane appeared in the KwaDukuza Magistrate's Court on Tuesday for the murder of seven Newark family members.
Image: Supplied
Further leads directed officers to the Dendethu area in Sundumbili, where a third suspect was apprehended. He was found carrying a firearm. In total, police recovered eleven cellphones from the suspects. The suspects reportedly broke into the home, tied the victims with rope, and assaulted them.
The victims were forced into their own vehicle and transported to Melmoth. According to police, the suspects demanded banking details and PINs from at least three victims, and several bank transfers occurred from the victims' accounts between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. After obtaining the banking information, the criminals allegedly shot and killed three victims, while stabbing the remaining four to death.