A date for the trial of three men accused of murdering Previn Pillay, whose body was dismembered and set alight in a suitcase, has finally been scheduled by the Western Cape High Court.
On Friday, nearly two years after the horrific discovery at Hazendal Train Station near Athlone, it was revealed that the accused Riefaat Loofer, Glenville Jansen and Franklin van Niekerk, will face charges including conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery, murder and defeating the ends of justice.
Pillay, 29, was last seen on December 23, 2020 leaving his home in Pinelands in his bakkie.
A week later cops were called to the Hazendal station where a mutilated body was found in a suitcase. Staff saw a man dragging the suitcase to the subway and setting it alight.
The suspect ran away and authorities discovered the dismembered body, with the head and one arm missing, in the suitcase. DNA tests confirmed it to be Previn’s remains, while his head has still not been found.
Officers from the Provincial Organised Crime Unit busted Van Niekerk, 52, at his home in Elsies River in February 2021.
Two months later they caught Jansen, 53, while the alleged mastermind Loofer was traced months later living among homeless mense under a bridge in Woodstock.
State prosecutor Emily van Wyk told the court that the defence teams had said they were ready to proceed and the trial date was set down for November 6.