His career reflected his passion for justice being appointed in the late 90s as a director of the Pretoria office of the Legal Resources Centre, a public interest law firm. He displayed an interest in mediation and conflict resolution early in his career with pro bono work for victims of racism, among others. This culminated in his involvement with the drafting of the United Nations NGO declaration on racism at the 'World Conference Against Racism' held in Durban in 2001.
In 2003 he was appointed South Africa's first Ombud for Financial Services Providers in terms of the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act 37 of 2002. Although he issued many unassailable determinations in this position, he shook the solid foundations of the financial services industry when he ruled against a bank that denied a homeowner free choice of insurance on property bonded to the bank, consequently bringing home a strong message of consumer protection. His ruling prompted a positive change in the law on this issue.
He took office as Pension Funds Adjudicator on 1 April 2010 after serving the Ombud for Financial Services Providers for six years. Since he came from a very humble background himself, having started his legal career in the early '80s in Chatsworth, Pillai understood the problems faced by people who looked upon the Office of the Pension Funds Adjudicator as their ultimate saviour. Speaking of his new role in April 2010, Pillai said: "In a world of such flux and uncertainty, the right for individuals to challenge and seek redress when things go wrong really matters".
Apart from his professional commitments, Pillai had also pursued an interesting hobby as an actor and a playwright. This had seen him script and act in plays such as Steve Biko - The Inquest; and the James Commission, both plays being based on actual court records. He also acted in several films, including A Dry While Season a film based on the book with a similar title by Andre Brink and The Making of the Mahatma, a film based on the life of Mahatma Gandhi, whilst he was in South Africa.
Pillai attained a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Durban-Westville in 1975. This was followed with a B Proc degree from the University of South Africa in 1979 while he was completing his clerkship. In 2001 he graduated with an LLB from the University of South Africa. He successfully completed an LLM in Administrative and Constitutional Law at the University of Pretoria, which degree was conferred, with distinction, in March 2004.
Commenting on Pillai's death, Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan, said, "Charles Pillai distinguished himself as FAIS Ombud and brought international recognition to the office through many groundbreaking determinations which positively changed the face of financial advice and intermediary services in South Africa." He added that during the short time Pillai occupied the adjudicator's office, he had brought the same degree of commitment and dedication to his position as he had as FAIS Ombud.
The funeral service will take place on tomorrow, 10 November 2010 from 11.30am to 3pm at the Clare Estate Crematorium in Durban. In lieu of flowers, it was Pillai's wish that any donations be made to a cancer fund.
