Ederees Smith's family stands firm as bail hearing is delayed
Sisters Zainab Jacobs and Gouwah Smith Newman were gunned down by their brother.
Image: Supplied.
Ederees Smith and his co-accused, Nazmie Lackay, made their second appearance in the Mitchells Plain Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
Smith is charged with serious Schedule 6 offences, including two counts of murder, attempted murder, and charges related to domestic violence.
He attended the hearing via closed-circuit television, where it was announced that the case would be postponed until December 2 for a formal bail application.
The State confirmed it would be opposing bail. Lackay faces related charges in connection with the incident.
Their appearance comes after Smith’s sisters, Gouwah Smith-Newman and Zainab Jacobs, were gunned down on November 6 outside a school in Mitchells Plain. A 12-year-old boy was also injured during the shooting.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Mehmet Vefa said their priority was supporting Smith while ensuring that the children involved are safely returned to their mother, Wadee-ah Smith.
“The family is standing behind Ederees, with the main focus on getting the kids back to their mother,” Vefa said. “There are so many things about this case that people don’t know. The family is dealing with a lot.”
Vefa also addressed recent reports claiming that Smith had gained access to the home address of a children’s court magistrate, saying the allegations were false.
“This is not true, and such news is only destroying the family even further,” he said.
In a previous interview with the Cape Argus sister publication, Weekend Argus, Wadee-ah disputed rumours circulating on social media regarding her children’s custody and living arrangements. She emphasised that while her youngest son frequently visited his aunt Zainab and her husband, Ganief Jacobs, he never lived there.
“We stopped letting him go there because we found out that they would still let him wear a nappy at the age of four when he sleeps over,” she said. “I was training him, and I found it frustrating that he was wearing a nappy when he was there. That is why we said no more sleepovers. Then the custody thing happened.”
Smith and Lackay remain in custody until their next appearance on December 2, when Smith’s bail application is expected to be heard.
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