Palesa Madiba’s murder case postponed

The murder case of Palesa Madiba was postponed on Wednesday at the Protea Magistrate’s court.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Phindi Mjonodwane said the case was postponed to August 21 to allow the accused, Dumisani Mkhwanazi, to obtain legal representation.

Ahead of Mkhwanazi’s appearance on Wednesday, the leadership and members of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Gauteng had said they would attend the murder case of the 36-year-old suspect.

The EFF in Gauteng said it would attend the case in solidarity with Madiba’s family, further calling for justice for Madiba’s murder.

The EFF in the province commended the police investigative unit for finally apprehending the suspect, even though it took six years.

“We call on the judiciary to launch the August celebrations of womanhood through greater punitive measures against [the suspect].

“How many lives must be lost in the hands of rapists and murderers? The onslaught of our women cannot go on like some casual occurrence that bears no consequences. We demand that all arms of law enforcement work together to fight this femicide endemic that has plagued our country,” the party said in a statement.

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.

(Compiled by Makhosandile Zulu)

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