EFF in Gauteng calls for swift justice in Palesa Madiba’s murder case

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Gauteng have called for swift justice in the Palesa Madiba murder case.

This after the matter was again postponed in the Protea Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday to allow the accused, Dumisani Mkhwanazi, to secure legal representation.

Mkhwanazi is expected back in court on August 28.

The EFF in the province had previously announced it would attend the case in solidarity with Madiba’s family.

The provincial chairperson of the party, Mandisa Mashego said on Wednesday since Madiba’s matter had dragged on for so long the investigation had probably been corrupted.

It took police two years and six months to find Madiba’s body, and almost six years to arrest the person allegedly behind the murder.

Mashego was critical of South Africa’s criminal justice system, saying it did not deter criminals from raping and murdering women in the country.

She was scathing of the system, saying it had inefficiently dealt with Madiba’s murder and that this inefficiency encouraged femicide to continue undeterred in South Africa.

Mashego described the country’s criminal justice system as “extremely cruel, insensitive, callous, anti-black and anti-black women, in particular” and “sociopathic”.

She said the postponement of the case means injustice for Madiba continues.

Mashego was scathing of the police who had taken years to investigate a “simple case”.

The delays and inactions and failure to successfully prosecute cases of femicide, in particular, where black women are victims, could lead to mob justice and vigilantism, Mashego said.

“The criminal justice system in South Africa is not a deterrent to crimes committed against black people, in particular, black women.

“Justice must be swift because if justice is delayed then justice is denied,” Mashego said.

The party said it would on Thursday stage a women’s march to the South African Police Service, National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), the public protector, and the gender commission in a call for justice for Madiba and other women in a similar situation.

Meanwhile, NPA spokesperson Phindi Mjonodwane confirmed that the case was postponed to August 28.

The 36-year-old accused, Mkhwanazi, is facing charges of murder and defeating the ends of justice.

Mkhwanazi was arrested on July 29 in Protea, Soweto, where it was reported that he was hiding from authorities.

Madiba went missing in 2013 and her remains were exhumed from a shallow grave in the backyard of a home in Phiri, Soweto, in December 2015. She disappeared after spending a weekend with a friend, Tshidi Mkhwanazi, at the latter’s home in Soweto.

Madiba would have graduated from the University of Johannesburg (UJ) in 2014.

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