Residents find murdered women s bodies ’
Whittlesea residents outraged by the brutal killing of two young women protested outside the Whittlesea magistrate s court on ’Monday, demanding that the accused be refused bail.
Police spokesperson Capt Namhla Mdleleni said the Whittlesea police had arrested a 25-year-old man following the murders of two women, aged 23 and 26, in Ekuphumleni Zone 2, Dongwe Village, on Thursday last week.
Athi Mtini, who mobilised community members to march against the scourge of genderbased violence in SA, said the brutal murders of Nomandla Kuse and Yonela Panya had come as a great shock to people living in the area.
The incident happened near “my home. We heard cries and rushed to find out what was going on. That is when we saw the women lying on the ground.
People chased the accused, “who was spotted on the scene, and apprehended him at his home.”
Mtini said though crime was rife in the area, an incident of this nature had never occurred before.
Police and an ambulance called to the scene reportedly arrived two hours late, while the lifeless bodies of the two women, surrounded by community members, were left lying on the ground.
It was horrific. We are “working on a petition to the magistrate s court demanding ’ that the accused be denied bail,” said Mtini.
Law enforcement officials “take forever to attend to such issues, but are quick to respond when they have to confiscate alcohol.”
Mtini said a community meeting with the local neighbourhood watch was being organised to discuss ways to tackle crime in the area.
Speaking to The Rep, Kwedeni Ntabeni, Panya s’ grandfather, said the family opposed bail and hoped that a heavy sentence would be given. He deserves to be hanged “because he killed two young girls.
He is a danger to society and “we hope justice will be served.” Kuse s aunt, Nothandekile’ Kolomba, who was called to the scene, said the gruesome stabbing of her niece had left her and her family in pain. Other “family members found out via Facebook posts that Nomandla was no more.
It is tragic and painful for us. “We hope the law will take its course because apparently the accused has another murder case in Komani that he ran away from. He does not deserve to be “released,” said Kolomba.
Mdleleni said the suspect was remanded in custody and would appear in court on August 11.