Deveney Nel murder case postponed to October for further investigations

The teenager accused of killing 16-year-old Deveney Nel made another appearance in court on Wednesday.

Protestors were again gathered outside the Caledon Magistrate’s Court as the unnamed 17-year-old minor arrived from the state facility where he was being detained.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Western Cape Spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila confirmed to The Citizen that the accused will not be seeking bail and that the matter has been postponed to 16 October for further investigations.

Calls to be tried as an adult

The group of protestors continued their call to have the young man tried as an adult, this time arriving at court with a petition to promote their cause.

The petition has over 1,000 signatures, as per News24, and demands the accused be moved to a juvenile detention facility and not the Department of Social Development home where is currently held.

ALSO READ: Could Deveney Nel’s alleged killer be tried as an adult? Here’s what the law says

Ntabazalila had previously stated that the conditions of the Child Justice Act would apply until stated otherwise by the court.

Accusations of previous incident

Nel’s murder at Hoërskool Overberg enraged communities across the country, which was compounded by claims that the accused had already been identified as having violent tendencies.

ALSO READ: Deveney Nel’s alleged killer may have shown early warning signs – report

Questions had been asked of the Department of Social Development (DSD) and the NPA about allegedly failing a previous victim of a sexual assault committed by Nel’s accused killer.

“We will be tracking down the case files and all relevant documentation related to this alleged incident to get a comprehensive understanding of the matter,” Monique Mortlock-Malgas from the Western Cape DSD told The Citizen recently.

“We can confirm DSD’s records show the department did not receive a referral from the NPA to the Children’s Court, for the alleged matter media is referring to,” she added.

Mortlock-Malgas defended the DSD social workers and partner organisations, stating that they are deeply valued and they work hard despite difficult circumstances.

“If there were failures in our system we will address them. [We] encourage anyone to come forward if they have further information,” she concluded.