Cleveland community members staged a picket outside the Johannesburg magistrate’s court on Thursday ahead of the appearance of three suspects linked to a mass shooting.
The trio — identified as Molebili Mosia, Ramonne Tsibela, and Zipho Metsing — face 13 counts of murder and 14 counts of attempted murder. The charges stem from an incident last month when gunmen allegedly opened fire on residents at the Jumpers informal settlement.
The suspects are scheduled to appear in court on Thursday for a formal bail hearing.
Outside the building, demonstrating community members chanted, “Phansi ngababulali. Asiyifuni bail for ababulali [Down with murderers. We don’t want bail for murderers].”
Thobile Ngcobo, a local resident, expressed widespread community outrage, saying people no longer feel safe in their own neighbourhood.
“We are being killed by these citizens from Lesotho, where we live. People have died right where we stay,” Ngcobo said. “They must not get bail; they should die in prison. We want a long sentence for them.”
While the area is currently calm, residents are living with severe anxiety, she said.
“Life is hard and it remains difficult because we do not want them back here. The community is incredibly angry and scared at the same time.”
During their last court appearance, the case was postponed to allow authorities to verify the residential addresses of the three accused ahead of their bail applications.
The National Prosecuting Authority has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that everyone responsible for the deadly attack is held accountable and that justice is served for the victims and their families.
TimesLIVE
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