The call for the death penalty is again becoming an issue, as residents gathered at the Mamelodi Magistrate’s Court on November 11.

Residents and organisations were protesting, asking the court not to grant bail to a 40-year-old man accused of rape, and to restore the death penalty.

Senior prosecutor Advocate Anne-Marie Bendeman said the rape accused briefly appeared at the court on Tuesday, but was remanded in police custody for a formal bail application on November 18.

Mamelodi East police spokesperson Constable Penelope Khulong confirmed that a 40-year-old man has been arrested and that police have started investigations.

Khulong said the victim stated that she was going home from a tavern when she noticed someone was following her.

She then realised it was her neighbour who offered to accompany her home. She agreed to this.

Khulong said that when they were near her home, she indicated that she would be safe walking home on her own.

The suspect then dragged her to his house and raped her.

Gender-based violence (GBV) activist from Mamelodi East Betty Sibeko said, “It is terrifying and incredibly sad to give birth to a girl, or to be a woman. This is because almost every week, a case of GBV is reported in Mamelodi.”

Sibeko said that the protestors did not come to plead with the court not to grant bail, but to demand that the death penalty be brought back.

“Not long [ago] residents of Mamelodi came out in their numbers, demonstrating outside the court in support of the families of two cousins who were shot and killed,” said Sibeko.

She urged the community to join forces in the fight against GBV and rape.

Bongani Ramontja from the Soil of Africa civic organisation said that the continued murder and rape of women in Mamelodi is not just criminal, it is a humanitarian crisis.

Ramontja said that despite countless protests, petitions, and promises, there are no functional surveillance cameras, no visible police patrols, and no ward-based safety wardens protecting communities in the area.

“Criminals walk freely, while women live in fear, and we demand immediate intervention,” said Ramontja.

He said the country needs urgent resourcing of GBV desks at police stations, trained officers, swift prosecution, and harsher sentencing for all convicted sex offenders.

On October 29, the Mamelodi Magistrate’s Court was filled with people attending the court appearance of the accused in the double murder case, where two cousins, Tshiamo and Baleseng Moramaga, were shot and killed.

The accused, Tebogo Mnisi (38), decided to abandon his bail request and remain in police custody.

The matter was postponed to January 19, 2026, for further investigations, as the investigation needs to be completed before the state is ready to go to trial.

The police arrested Mnisi on October 27 in connection with two counts of murder and attempted murder that occurred in Mamelodi East, Ext 17 on October 26.

Police spokesperson Captain Tintswalo Sibeko said that the police investigation revealed that a third victim, who was shot during the incident, is receiving medical treatment.

“Acting on this information, a joint team consisting of detectives from Gauteng Provincial Serious and Violent Crime Unit, Provincial Crime Intelligence, and Mamelodi East Detectives arrested the suspect at a filling station in Pretoria,” said Sibeko.

Mnisi is facing five charges: two for premeditated murder, and one each for attempted murder, possession of live ammunition, and possession of an unlicensed firearm.

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