Murder-accused abandon bail bid
The two accused in the case of murdered nun Gertrud Tiefenbacher yesterday abandoned their bail application.
The two men accused of murdering 86-year-old nun Gertrud Tiefenbacher, who was clutching a cross when her body was found in her room last month, yesterday abandoned their bail applications in the Ixopo Magistrates’ Court in KwaZulu-Natal.
Sibongiseni Pongola, 26, and Mondli Shezi, 25, face murder, rape and robbery charges following the death of Tiefenbacher at the Sacred Heart Home in Ixopo a few weeks ago.
The case was postponed until tomorrow so the matter could formally be transferred to the Kwa- Zulu-Natal High Court in Pietermaritzburg.
According to the indictment Pongola and Shezi, both of whom avoided eye contact with people in a packed the public gallery, broke into the nun’s room on April 18.
Tiefenbacher was allegedly tied up with an electric typewriter cord, raped and a towel used to suffocate her before the perpetrators escaped with cash and several items.
Both men were arrested in Ixopo on April 27.
“During their arrest, they were found in possession of some of the stolen property which was positively identified as property belonging to the victim,” KZN police spokesperson Colonel Thulani Zwane said at the time of the arrest.
The incident, which made international headlines, left the residents of the small town of Ixopo reeling in shock.
Nuns from Sacred Heart attended yesterday’s hearing.
“We all trying our best to recover from the shock and fear left by this horrendous incident,” said Sister Gerald Frye. “With God’s will, we hope that one day we will be able to put this tragedy behind us.”
“However, I must say the swift manner in which the police responded has given us a lot of strength.”