Protesters demand no bail for Mpumalanga murder suspect

The Evander Magistrate’s Court in Mpumalanga will deliver its decision tomorrow (July 1) on whether to grant bail to a 34-year-old woman accused of the fatal stabbing of a young man in the eMbalenhle township, reports Ridge Times.

The accused, Nomusa Hlatshwayo, faces a charge of murder following the death of 26-year-old Sinethemba Thomo.

It is alleged that on June 13, Thomo was picked up from his home by a friend during the afternoon.

Later that night, community members alerted his family that he had been stabbed and had collapsed not far from his house.

Thomo was rushed to a local clinic before being transferred to Evander Hospital for emergency treatment, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Hlatshwayo was subsequently arrested and charged with murder.

During the formal bail application last week Wednesday (June 24), an affidavit from the investigating officer, Sergeant Pieter Ramutla, was presented to the court opposing Hlatshwayo’s release due to safety concerns.

He testified that residents of Extension 14 in eMbalenhle were angered by the crime.

Community members picketed outside the courtroom and submitted a petition opposing her release, but Hlatshwayo’s attorney argued that while the court could consider public sentiment, it must not be influenced by outside pressure.

The defence submitted that the court should instead focus purely on whether the interests of justice permit her release on bail.

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