Over the past few weeks, the Action Society team has been attending and supporting court cases relating to gender-based violence and murder in the Western Cape. Here’s a wrap of some court cases in the last weeks.
Mandalay woman found dead under man’s bed
On 23 March, the Action Society team was at Mitchell’s Plain Magistrates Court with the family of 25-year-old Cleo Diko. Her decomposed body was found hidden under a bed, covered with cement and tiles and with a rope around the neck in January 2023 in Mandalay in Cape Town.
A 10-year-old killed and found in a chest in Mbekweni
The man accused of killing 10-year-old Lihle Zenzile appeared in court in Paarl on 23 March 2023. She was murdered in January 2023, allegedly by an 18-year-old relative. The girl’s body was stuffed into a trunk in her house in Mbekweni. The case has been postponed to 2 May 2023.
Photographer charged with rape in Wellington
A photographer allegedly raped a 19-year-old woman who aspired to become a model. The assault occurred a year ago while on a photoshoot. Action Society assisted in tracking down the alleged rapist in Stellenbosch recently, and SAPS arrested him. He appeared in the Wellington Magistrates Court on 30 March 2023. The matter was postponed to 12 May 2023 for the first appearance in Paarl Regional Court.
Mbekweni woman murdered, dismembered and set alight
Action Society supported the family of Siphokazi Booi, who was brutally murdered in September 2021 in court on 4 April 2023. Booi’s body was chopped up, stuffed into a wheelie bin, burnt and dumped near the railway in Mbekweni in 2021.
Booi’s alleged killer was out on bail after being released for assaulting her in 2021. A month after his release, he allegedly killed her. The matter has been postponed to 30 May 2023 after the accused requested the use of a private lawyer, who has to be present.
Aggressive son assaults mother
A Cape Town mother has taken legal action against her abusive son. The 57-year-old told Action Society that her son has been abusing her for many years, and in 2019 she obtained a protection order against him. Even though the protection order was granted, he continued the abusive behaviour.
In January 2023, he chopped up her table and chairs. He then went to her bedroom and cut her mattress into pieces. Finally, he threatened her with an axe and slapped her face several times.
The mother and son appeared on 27 March 2023 in Bellville Magistrates Court, where mediation took place; however, it was unsuccessful. As a result, another mediation session will be held on 5 May 2023.
Mitchell’s Plain teen killed with a beer bottle
The man accused of killing Lekeasha Marthinus, an 18-year-old woman from Tafelsig, appeared in the Mitchells Plain Magistrates Court on 28 March 2023. Action Society attended the court appearance with the family.
She was holding her nine-month-old baby in her arms in November last year when her boyfriend hit her with a full bottle of beer, knocking her out. She died because of the knock on her head. The case has been postponed to 19 April 2023.
Garden Route teenager raped and strangled to death
The man suspected of murdering 16-year-old Jamie-Lee Julius appeared in court on 28 March 2023. Jamie-Lee Julius’ lifeless body was discovered by her sister behind a water tank on a farm near Great Brak River on 28 January 2023. It’s alleged that the girl was raped and strangled to death. The suspect appeared in court, and the case was postponed for further investigation. A new court date was set for 2 May 2023.
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