The five men accused of murdering two 25-year-old women from Evaton have abandoned their bail application. The men appeared briefly at the Vereeniging Magistrate’s Court yesterday (January 22), following the discovery of the victims’ bodies earlier this month.

Paseka and Tshepo Makobashane, Thabo Difeto, Aute Motsapi, and Sive Gwinise are charged with the kidnapping, hijacking and murder of Nontokozo Mazibuko and Andiswa Sontangane.

The women were last seen at a soccer ground in Evaton on December 30. Their families reported them missing the following day. Their partly decomposed bodies were discovered at a plot in Poortjie on January 8.

The case has caused significant public outcry in the Vaal region, once again highlighting the crisis of violence against women in the area.

Activists protest outside court

During the proceedings, gender-based violence (GBV) activists demonstrated outside the court to demand justice and call for the maximum possible sentences.

Members of Tosunga Baninga, a non-profit organisation dedicated to ending GBVF and child abuse, displayed placards and 15 pairs of women’s shoes. Organisers stated that the pairs of shoes symbolise the average number of women killed daily in South Africa.

Inside the courtroom, activist Duduzile Mkhwanazi staged a silent protest, standing with her hands tied and tape over her mouth to represent the ordeal the victims may have faced.

Accused request legal aid

“Watching those five men in court today really made me imagine how scared Nontokozo and Andiswa had been. They were helpless and overpowered. This is what we are faced with daily as women living in this country,” Mkhwanazi said.

The accused informed the court they would like to apply for legal aid and not appoint their own attorneys. They are due back in court on February 25.

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