Church attacker survivor disappointed as accused granted bail
Community members are raising questions after a man accused of a church knife attack was granted bail.
A 71-year-old worshipper who survived a knife attack during an Easter church service has been left deeply disappointed after the man accused of attacking her was granted bail of R500.
The accused appeared in the Emalahleni Magistrate’s Court on April 22, where the matter was postponed to June 24.
These come after a peaceful day of worship turned into a scene of chaos when the suspect entered the church and confronted Elizabeth Sikeli.
Sikeli said earlier, on April 4, the man had followed and pushed her while she was walking to church with fellow congregants. She chose to ignore him and continued on her way.
However, the situation escalated later on.
“I was praying when I suddenly felt something cold at my neck – it was a knife,” she said.
Congregants acted swiftly, overpowering the suspect before he could injure them. Despite multiple alleged attempts to stab her, Sikeli walked away unharmed.
Read more here: Church attack suspect set to appear in court after Easter incident
See in a video how the attacker allegedly entered the church and targeted a 71-year-old worshipper as the case heads back to court
— WitbankNews (@WitbankN) April 22, 2026
Read more here: https://t.co/X8S5s3sFkK pic.twitter.com/c9ZXGyxe7L
The bail decision has raised concern among members of the community who were up and down with the victim as they worried about her safety and questioned whether the accused should have been released while the case is still ongoing.
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