It was an emotional moment for the relatives of Zarah Hector on Tuesday in the Western Cape High Court as her sister read out a letter about how her death has affected their family.
A nervous Vivi-Anne Pretorius, wearing a pink T-shirt with Zarah’s face on, thanked Judge Lister Nuku for the opportunity to address the court on the family’s behalf.
“She leaves behind a five-year-old son who is currently receiving trauma counselling. He constantly asks about his mother. He is living with his father.
“Her 18-year-old daughter, who lives with my parents, has been violently shaken by the brutal murder of her mother,” Vivi-Anne read.
“Her schooling has taken a tremendous knock. She suffers from severe depression and has to be under constant supervision.
“The perpetrators robbed them of a mother.”
The family was also traumatised by the fact that Zarah did not have a dignified funeral, as her body was so badly decomposed that the pathologist advised it be cremated.
Vivi-Anne said her mother suffered a heart attack three months after Zarah’s death and their father “has lost his spirit”.
She slammed the accused for not testifying themselves.
“If they had any remorse they would consider the trauma brought upon all families, not just ours. They did not just brutally murder our sister, but dumped her like dirt. There will never be closure on our sister’s death.”