No bail for Meghan accused, demand Cape Town court protesters

A crowd of protesters gathered at a Cape Town court on Thursday, hoping to stop three men charged in connection with the murder of Meghan Cremer from being granted bail.

The 60 black-clad protesters, many of them women from the Philippi equestrian community in which 30-year-old Cremer lived, were hoping to hand in a petition containing more than 50,000 names.

A week ago, Jeremy Sias, 27, Charles Daniels, 39, and Shiraaz Jaftha, 34, made their first appearance in Athlone magistrate’s court. 

Last week Sias was charged with murder and the others with being in possession of a stolen vehicle. Court documents suggested this may change on Thursday.

The men were remanded in custody hours after Cremer's body was found at a Philippi sand mine.

The Knysna woman, who had disappeared five days earlier after her car was seen driving away from Vaderlansche Rietvlei stud farm, had a rope around her neck.

One of the protesters at court on Thursday, Penny Owens, said the attempt to keep the suspects behind bars “isn’t about a white woman, it's standing up for everyone”.

Owens said she was a neighbourhood watch member and had seen too much violence. “We, as women, have had enough. Why should we be locked up in our own homes?” she said.

“We want all three to be denied bail and we want stiff sentences.”

The crowd in court included Linda Mohr, owner of Vaderlansche Rietvlei. She and her family wanted to see Sias, who grew up alongside Mohr's sons on the picturesque horse farm in Philippi.

The Mohr family said Sias was always trustworthy and kind, and was a quiet man who got on with his work on the farm.