The mutilated and burnt body of Siphokazi Booi will represent the thousands of victims of violent crime in South Africa during Police Minister Bheki Cele’s release of the past quarter’s crime statistics. Action Society will be participating in a mass gathering tomorrow to demand justice for Siphokazi while the SAPS top brass announces the past quarter’s crime statistics.
Siphokazi’s body was chopped up, stuffed into a wheelie bin, burnt and dumped near the railway in Mbekweni in September 2021. Her boyfriend, Sithobele Qebe, known as Rasta in the community, stands accused of her murder. Qebe was out on bail at the time of the murder after being charged with assault for allegedly beating Siphokazi to the point where she was admitted to the hospital that August. She was murdered three weeks later.
Action Society has been overseeing Siphokazi’s murder case since 2021. The case has been delayed several times since the accused appeared in court for the first time. After it was delayed in December 2022 because of loadshedding, the case was postponed to April 2023. Then the defendant decided to fire his state-appointed legal representative. The court warned him that he must have new representation tomorrow and stop delaying the process.
“With tomorrow’s gathering, we hope the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, will realise that the numbers on their spreadsheets are actually real people like Siphokazi, who the system has let down,” says Ian Cameron, Director of Community Safety at Action Society. “Without an integrated plan between the Departments of Police, Justice, Correctional Services and Social Development, the crime statistics mean nothing.
We want all of these ministers as well as President Ramaphosa to say her name so they don’t forget who they are failing.”
Action Society invites the media and other interested persons to join the gathering at court or to virtually support the case at the following link: https://actionsociety.co.za/siphokazi-booi/.
Date: 30 May 2023
Time: 8:30
Venue: Paarl Regional Court, Corner of Mark And Bergrivier Blvd S, Hoog-En-Droog, Paarl
FOR MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
Kaylynn Palm
Action Centre Coordinator
Cell: 063 672 9256
