Mdantsane murder case disrupted due to security fears

08 June 2017 - 16:16 By Malibongwe Dayimani
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Mdantsane Magistrates Court
Mdantsane Magistrates Court
Image: Elvis Batyi via Google photo

Court proceedings were abandoned for two hours when two suspects linked to the Mdantsane murders and rape appeared on Thursday morning.

Angry protesters‚ who arrived in buses and taxis‚ came for the first appearance of the two suspects who were arrested after the gruesome discovery of two bodies of women in Mdantsane in the Eastern Cape last week. The suspects are also linked to the rape of a schoolgirl in the area.

Due to an "overwhelming public interest" in the case‚ police had to battle with more than 300 people who showed up as early as 7.30am.

Court manager Melanie Elliot said the brief appearance had to be held behind closed doors earlier than normal time due to security fears.

Elliot said allowing the crowd into the courtroom would have been a big security risk.

"The senior state prosecutor arranged for the brief appearance to be held early in the morning and not allow any member of the public inside because the crowd was too large and it would have put the suspects and officials' lives at risk‚" she said.

The case was postponed to Friday for a formal bail application.

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