Cape Town - A man accused of double murder is expected to appear in court on Monday in connection with the deaths of his 65-year-old mother and 12-year-old niece.
The murders sparked an outcry as Kalksteenfontein residents and neighbouring communities called for justice to be served for a family “who was failed by the system”.
Police spokesperson, Joseph Swartbooi, confirmed the 39-year-old was arrested on Saturday after SAPS responded to a scene where the two bodies were found.
“The circumstances surrounding the discovery of two bodies in a house in Kalksteenfontein, is under investigation. Bishop Lavis police attended a complaint on Saturday morning. On arrival at the scene in Panoster Square, they found the bodies of two females inside the dwelling. The victims, aged 65 and 12, were both declared deceased by medical personnel. A 39- year-old male has been arrested and detained on a charge of murder,” said Swartbooi.
Residents are expected to picket at the Bishop Lavis Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
Bishop Lavis Action Community (Blac) spokesperson Amanda Davids said they are saddened by the murders and will be at court on Monday to seek justice for family.
“As Blac we are saddened by the double murder that happened in Kalksteenfontein. As an organisation who work on a daily basis fighting the social ills in our community we know these types of murders are preventable. It is a daily struggle to get drug addicts who wants help into a facility, unless they commit a crime. We sympathise with the family and all those who have been hurt and traumatised by this, especially because a mother and a young life has been lost for nothing.
“We need help with our drug epidemic on the Cape Flats. We do not need politicians to come to Bishop Lavis for photo opportunities. We need 24 hour social workers, we need help for the mentally ill. We definitely need the court interdicts to carry more weight. Then we need our Justice system to start working for us instead of just treating cases as numbers,” said Davids.
CPF chairperson Graham Lindhorst said the justice system had failed the family.
“I am informed he is an ex-convict. (The accused) threatened his mother and she went for an interdict as he promised her that he was going to do something to her. They appeared three weeks ago in connection with the interdict and today she is no more. The justice system failed her and her granddaughter,” said Lindhorst.
Sub-council 15 chairperson, Angus Mckenzie said they would support the family and community in their call for no bail for the accused.
“More concerning is that this heinous crime is alleged to have been committed by (an) individual who was recently released from prison. The failure of government functions meant to uplift and protect citizens is only getting worse crime after crime,” said Mckenzie.
Anyone with any information on the incident can anonymously contact Crime Stop at 086 0010 111 or SMS Crime Line at 32211.
Cape Times