Former politician Brandon Pillay earns PhD while overcoming family tragedy

FORMER MP Brandon Pillay has achieved his PhD in Public Administration despite facing the devastating murders of two brothers during his studies.

His journey from local councillor to Parliament and now community leader showcases remarkable resilience in transforming personal tragedy into academic triumph. 

Last Thursday, Pillay, 44, who graduated from the University of KwaZulu-Natal said his journey was inspired by his late mother, Radha Dhanalutchmee Pillay. 

“Although she had set her sights on me becoming a medical doctor, her dream was always rooted in seeing me succeed and serve others."

Pillay currently runs the Bayview Ubuntu Community Centre on a voluntary basis – fulfilling his passion of community service. 

He holds a diploma in Community Development and Political Science, Bachelor of Public Administration Honours (BPA Honours) from MANCOSA, Advanced Health Management Programme (AHMP) with Foundation of Professional Development from Yale University and Masters of Public Administration (MPA) from UKZN. 

“I was not passionate about becoming a medical doctor but I told myself a long time ago that I would still make my mother proud and achieve a doctorate. When I completed my masters and performed very well, I was very motivated to attempt my PhD,” he said.

Pillay’s PhD in Public Administration focused on coalition governments.

“I chose a very current topic -  the formation and functioning of coalition governments: an analysis of a hung municipality in South Africa.

“It focused on the hung municipality of eThekwini. The findings reflected that political parties did not waste time talking about a coalition as they all agreed that this was a way forward for a functioning government to be formed, although mistrust and difficulties in selecting the governing partners became a challenge for the erstwhile ruling ANC party. 

“The conclusions drawn from this study were that the formation of a coalition government in eThekwini Municipality was welcomed; the process however was inevitably associated with disputes, as evident by some of the partners within the coalition withdrawing during the coalition period, thereby triggering further instability in the functioning of the coalition,” he said.

Pillay said his background in local government  helped him choose his research topic.

“I spent five years as a Ward councillor, then moved on to be a manager of Grant in Aid within eThekwini Municipality, before being appointed to the National Assembly as a member of parliament (MP).

“This experience gave me sufficient knowledge to want to investigate my topic.”

At the time of doing his research, Pillay was a full time MP in Cape Town, which meant travelling weekly and only being home on weekends. 

“There was literally no time in the week. It was a struggle especially to juggle my day,” he said.

This is when Pillay decided to step away from politics, in order to complete his PhD and spend time with his family. 

“After the deaths of my brothers I wanted to be home and closer to my family. In fact after the death of my first brother I was already in discussion with leaders of my political party requesting to be back home in Durban.”

Pillay said he did not see himself returning to politics.

“Personally I believe that my season in politics is over. I started from a very young age of 30 years. My lifelong dream has been to run a full time community centre and this is where I find the most fulfilment. I continue to serve my community on a daily basis. Community development and empowerment is the path that I have taken.”

Despite the adversity Pillay faced in life, he has been able to overcome them.

“Sometimes it takes a moment to change your life and set it on a journey you never envisaged and this is what happened to me. 

“In 1998 Fatima Meer came to Unit Two. It was a time of electricity cut-offs and evictions, and this lady inspired me. She had been to jail, banned, and was a professor, but she was so humble. I became a civic activist and a leader of the Bayview Flat Residents Association (BFRA). It was a whirlwind as I marched with the people, negotiated, and fought street battles. In a short time, I turned from a young boy into a man who took responsibility.

“I am a dedicated social servant and community activist. For over two decades, I have been committed to curbing social ills and fostering inter-race and inter- cultural relations in my community.”

He said growing up, his late parents, Radha Dhanalutchmee and Luckey Vadivelu Pillay made the biggest impact on his life.

“They were able to give from the little they had, and this value I have carried my entire life. I grew up in a large family with five brothers and one sister. All of my siblings have impacted my life, but I pay tribute to my late brother Trevor who was murdered in my very own community at the age of 21. His death gave rise to my community activism.”

“In the midst of my studies in October 2022, my older brother Seelan was shot and killed. His killers have still not been found and the investigations have gone cold,” said Pillay.

“I struggled to get past his death and I was not even able to focus on my studies. I had to write to my supervisor and the college to request some time off to deal with the trauma. Thirteen months later, in December 2023, another brother was shot and killed execution style.

“There was just nothing that could have prepared me for that. I never saw myself coming out of it and depression started to kick in. I sought therapy to help me cope with my grief."

Pillay said he thought of quitting his studies but he persevered through his grief.

“I decided I needed to do this in honour of my late parents and brothers. I needed to do this because that is what they would have wanted me to do.

“I believe that never trying is worse than failing. Throughout my journey of elevation, I have faced numerous challenges and setbacks, but I have always chosen to persevere and take risks.”

When he finally graduated with his PhD, his family and community were very proud of his determination and success. 

“This has been a lifelong dream and goal which I was able to make a reality. My family is extremely proud of my achievements but it saddens me that my mum, dad and brothers did not get to see me graduate. But I know that they are watching over me and will be there in spirit.”

Pillay said his research would be significant within the South African context. 

“Coalitions have become the future of our country, as we have seen with the recent general elections and the GNU. This study contributes to new knowledge by providing empirical insights into the operational realities of a coalition government in a South African Municipality.

“I hope to empower young people, develop our community, protect our women and children, provide relief for victims and safeguard our senior citizens,” said Pillay.

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