JOHANNESBURG - Roedolf Viviers and Zayn van Tonder appeared briefly in the dock while photographers jostled to take their pictures.

Magistrate Ncumisa Gcolotela transferred the matter to the Regional Court, which would sit later on Tuesday in the adjacent court room.

The two men are then expected to apply for bail.

They are accused of killing 27-year-old Muhammad Fayaaz Kazi and assaulting his close friend Anser Mahmood outside a Chicken Licken outlet in Magaliesburg on August 6.

They allegedly made fun of Kazi's beard and racially insulted him when he confronted them. A fight ensued and Kazi later died of his injuries in hospital.

On Tuesday, the two accused were neatly dressed in pale blue open-necked shirts. They appeared in the dock without shackles or handcuffs.

At their first appearance, the public and media were directed to the wrong court. When reporters discovered this and went to the correct courtroom, they were denied access and missed the proceedings.

Police said the public was denied entry to the court because the men were yet to appear in an identity parade.