The family of 20-year-old Luke Rowan Sigamoney has vowed not to give up its quest for justice after the two men accused of his murder were granted bail, a decision that left relatives and supporters devastated outside the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
Family members and friends staged a placard protest ahead of the hearing, urging the court to deny bail to the accused. However, their hopes were dashed when Tyron Chetty, 20, and Trevin Singh, 28, both from Shallcross, were each granted bail of R2,000 under strict conditions.
The pair face a charge of murder in connection with Sigamoney’s death.
According to an affidavit by the investigating officer, Detective Constable Charlene Newton of the Malvern SAPS, the incident unfolded during the early hours of July 5 after a group returned from a night out in Durban.
The State alleges that an altercation broke out after Sigamoney was accused of sexually assaulting a woman travelling in the same vehicle. The allegation has not been tested in court, and Sigamoney is not able to respond to it.
Image: Nadia Khan
According to the affidavit, the woman alerted Chetty, after which the vehicle stopped and Sigamoney was allegedly pulled from the vehicle and assaulted.
The State further alleges that Sigamoney was later placed in the boot of the vehicle before being driven to Singh’s home in Shallcross.
Newton’s affidavit states that Singh’s father instructed the group to take Sigamoney to hospital.
He was transported to RK Khan Hospital, where he later died.
Newton told the court she did not oppose bail.
In separate affidavits supporting their bail applications, Chetty and Singh told the court they had no previous convictions or pending criminal matters and denied that they posed a flight risk or would interfere with State witnesses.
Chetty said he worked as a tally clerk earning R7,000 a month and financially supported his parents as well as his partner and her two children.
Singh told the court he worked in the construction industry, supported his two young children and would comply with all bail conditions.
Image: Supplied
Following the hearing, Sigamoney’s cousin, Nicole Pillay, said the family was devastated by the decision.
“We are absolutely upset that two people accused of such a serious crime could be easily granted bail. They did not show any exceptional circumstances to be released. All we can do now is keep our faith in God that my cousin gets justice,” she said.
Pillay described Sigamoney as more than a cousin.
“He was my baby brother. Whenever I spoke about my siblings, I always said I have four brothers instead of three.”
She explained that after the deaths of both his parents when he was about 12 years old, Sigamoney moved into her family’s home, where her parents became his legal guardians.
Pillay said he had hoped to build a better future and planned to study to become an electrician.
She also questioned the circumstances surrounding his death, saying the family had received differing accounts of what happened that night.
“We just want the real truth to be revealed and that those responsible for his death are punished,” she said.
Sigamoney was laid to rest last Thursday.
The matter has been postponed as police investigations continue. The accused remain on bail, and no findings have been made by the court on the allegations against them.
