It was emotional scenes of bereaved and angry family members at the Paarl Magistrate’s Court today, as the accused in the brutal murder case of Siphokazi Booi brought a bail application. Members of the community protested peacefully in front of the court buildings, demanding that no bail be granted and that a life sentence should be handed down in this case.
Action Society continues their watching brief on this case and Mr. Heinrich Gonzales acting on behalf of the organisation commented: “At this stage, we are of the opinion that it would not be in the interest of justice should he be granted bail and trust the magistrate will apply her mind.”
Booi was murdered and dismembered before being set alight in Mbekweni, Paarl two weeks ago. The accused was out on bail at the time of the murder ̶ after being charged with assault, allegedly beating the deceased to the point where she had to be admitted to hospital in August.
“There are thousands of violent criminals walking free on our streets and the South African government is failing GBVF victims like Siphokazi on a daily basis due to their blatant disregard to the plight for justice in our country,” said Ian Cameron, spokesperson for Action Society.
The bail application was opposed by the state prosecution who called the investigating officer to testify about the facts of the matter and reasons for opposing the bail application. Judgement was reserved by the magistrate and the matter postponed to 23 September 2021 for judgement to be handed down then.
Cameron concludes: “Action Society hopes to see justice prevail. An example should be made of offenders who commit such gruesome crimes in a country renowned for violence against women and children. We have murder rates equivalent to war zones when it comes to the killing of women, GBVF has become a human rights violation in South Africa.”
ISSUED BY: Action Society
DATE: 17 September 2021
