CHILDREN and residents of Westcliff were treated to a special praise and worship service and party, honouring Zarah Ramsamy on what would have been her Cinderella princess themed 13th birthday celebration.
Zarah was 11 when she was killed in a horrific hijacking in September 2024 at a fast food outlet in Malvern, while her family was celebrating her success at a school concert.
CCTV footage captured Zarah hiding under her mother’s Toyota Fortuner after she saw the gunmen accost her mother. The hijackers then drove over her twice before they fled in the vehicle.
Zarah’s mother, Shay Ramsamy, told the POST that her family still faced overwhelming trauma daily since the hijacking, and that their faith in the police had diminished due to the case going cold.
“Nothing has changed. We are still shattered. The trauma on a daily basis is overwhelming. The mental trauma added to the emotional grief makes life extremely difficult.
“But with God, I find my strength knowing that Zarah is alive in God’s kingdom. It is almost two years since she was called to be with God but her absence is still so loud.
“Our home has gone from one filled with children’s laughter to one of silence. My sons, who are still traumatised, remain in their rooms and they live in silence.
“My husband and I also mostly sit in silence. Our hearts and home feel empty. Zarah was the light in this house. Now we are just living day-to-day until we are called to be with the Lord and her,” Ramsamy added.
She said they were disappointed that they had not received any feedback from police, and that the case was not prioritised.
“We have no idea what is going on with the case. The last time we got feedback from the police was a year ago. Nobody has called us to even reassure us that they are still investigating.
“There is no justice. Our family is torn and broken. My child is gone. We lost our only daughter. I live in fear. I am afraid of traveling.
“I want these people that broke my family to be caught and face the law for what they have done. I want justice for my family and most especially for my sons. I see the pain they are going through daily.
“Zarah and her brothers were very close. Th ey are now 19 and 16. They deserve to know that the people who did this are behind bars so that they can feel a bit safer in this unsafe country,” she added.
Ramsamy said she and her husband decided to honour Zarah on her 13th birthday on Saturday by giving back to the Westcliff community. She said Zarah formed a bond with residents and children from the area when their family donated groceries in the area each month.
“Zarah loved her birthday. She would plan parties with me every year and her father and I would always give her what she wanted. Her birthday celebrations usually ended just before Father’s Day.
“She was excited to become a teenager like her brothers. Zarah and I planned a Cinderella princess themed party. She said she wanted to enter the venue in a horse and carriage like Cinderella.
“She also wanted gospel celebrities at her party. I would have done anything for her but the Lord had other plans.
“We have to trust it. Instead of staying home and crying and making it a sombre day, we decided to give back to the less fortunate, which is what Zarah loved doing the most.
“We prepared party packs, bought refreshments, mutton breyani, and cupcakes, and we arranged a praise and worship service in Westcliff. We used to go there every month, sometimes two or three times in a month, to give the residents grocery hampers which Zarah would make.
“She loved to do that every month and the people in the area knew her well, so we spent the day with them. They knew her well.
“That was the first time we went back into the area since Zarah was called to God’s kingdom. We felt the presence of God there, and it warmed our hearts. While we struggle to continue living without the only daughter we had, we hope that the case receives priority and that justice for our daughter is served,” Ramsamy said.
In October 2024, Constable Minenhle Makhaye, a police officer from the Cato Manor police station who was tasked to drive Ramsamy's hijacked vehicle when it was recovered.
He was arrested after he was allegedly found in possession of Ramsamy's bank card. He was allegedly captured on CCTV buying alcohol with Ramsamy's bank card at a liquor store.
In July 2025, Magistrate Scelo Zuma struck Makhaye's case off the struck roll due to there being no progess in the case in the nine months that Makhaye remained in police custody.
THE POST
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