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Sugar cane suspects in court
27/09/2007 08:50 - (SA)
Sne Makhanya
Pietermaritzburg - Scenes of anger at the brutal slaying of five young women were tempered by the sadness felt by their loved ones outside the Umzinto Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, where three suspects linked to the murders made their first court appearance.
Three of the initial five suspects appeared, while two have been discharged.
One of the suspects is a 36-year-old woman. She was arrested on Monday with the main suspect (also 36) and his friend at a Chatsworth house where police found certain items belonging to the deceased. The three are charged with abduction and murder.
Angry Umzinto residents awaited their arrival with placards bearing assorted messages, including calls for the death penalty.
See their faces
They wanted to see the suspects' faces as there had been speculation that one of them is a resident of Shayamoya township where the women's decomposed bodies were found.
Superintendent Zandra Hetcher said one of the suspects is from Port St Johns in the Eastern Cape, where police initially started their search.
"At first we had five suspects but the other two were released because their alibis matched and police had insufficient evidence against them." Reporters and some locals had packed the tiny courtroom but were told that the three suspects would not appear in an open court for fear of compromising investigations as an identification parade is still to be held.
Magistrate Giel van Aarde promised to grant permission for photographs at the suspects' next court appearance on October 10, when they will apply for bail.
The people outside were disappointed.
DNA needed
A Mrs Mkhize said she wanted to see the suspects "face to face".
All five victims were aged between 18 and 35 and had been lured from various areas to Shayamoya hoping to get jobs. Instead they were raped and then strangled.
Police said that although three families have come forward to claim the bodies, four of the five bodies are still unidentified and in police care at Scottburgh.
"These are inaccurate identifications because the women's bodies were decomposed and clothing items are not conclusive evidence for identification," said Captain Vincent Mdunge. He said DNA samples will be needed to accurately identify the victims.
For now, the family of the sisters who are believed to be among the victims, Nonjabulo, 21, and Philisile Mpanza, 27, of Folweni, south of Durban, are waiting for the forensic reports to return from Pretoria so they can continue with their burial.
"When we saw them, Philisile was still in good form and we easily identified her, but Nonjabulo was not so easily recognisable," said sister-in-law Samkelisiwe Chili.
"Now we are just waiting for the one report so we can bury them together to save costs,"; she said.
Chili said the younger sister had met a man who promised her a job. She told her older her sister about the job that paid R4 000 monthly and they then packed together and went to meet the man, who instructed them to take a taxi to Umzinto where he would meet them. This was a month ago.
Philisile left two daughters, aged six and two.
The family have already begun their mourning with candles lit daily in the household, awaiting a report that will help them find closure.
- The Witness
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