The trial of the four men accused of killing Hillary Gardee starts in the Mpumalanga High Court today.

Sipho Mkhatshwa, Philemon Lukhele, Albert Gama and Hlabirwa Rassie Nkuna appeared in the same court yesterday but the trial was postponed.

The legal representative of Mkhatshwa, Lukhele and Gama had applied for a postponement for representations to the director of public prosecutions to withdraw all charges levelled against the three accused.

Judge President Francis Legodi denied the postponement, and the state argued that it was ready for trial.

The four face charges of kidnapping, rape and murder.

Nkuna, who confessed to killing Gardee, is also facing other murder charges, including killing a police officer and her sister on May 15, 2022.

Gardee’s body was found in Sabie, Mpumalanga a few days after she went missing on April 29, 2022.

Her murder caused outrage, especially among EFF members. EFF leader Julius Malema vowed to ‘teach her killer a lesson he will never forget’, prior to the arrests.