TWO suspects implicated in the murder of 16-year-old Franziska Blöchliger have entered into negotiations for plea agreements with the State.
But Jerome Moses and Daniel Easter, both of whom are out on bail, will have to wait a bit longer to hear their fate as the magistrate in the case was not available yesterday.
Moses, Easter, Jonathan Jonas and Howard Oliver face charges of murder, four counts of rape, and robbery.
Franziska’s body was found after she had separated from her mother and sister to go for a run in the Tokai Forest.
She had been bludgeoned with a blunt object and suffocated, after sand was stuffed down her throat and her faced pressed into the sand.
Franziska’s murder led to a public outcry.
Yesterday, the court was packed with members of Franziska’s family. Also present were a group of activists calling for “Justice for Franziska” on the eve of 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the plea and sentencing agreement could not go ahead because the magistrate was not present.
He said the matters before court were the indictment, summary of facts and bail application for Oliver, and the plea and sentencing agreement for Moses.
Ntabazalila said the State was ready to proceed with the bail application and with Easter’s case, as he planned to plead guilty.
Monique Carstens, Moses’s legal representative, made an urgent application for the relaxation of his bail conditions. He has to report to the Kirstenbosch police station.
Because he is due to attend rehab in Elsies River for eight weeks, Carstens asked for permission for him to report to a police station close to where he is an in-patient, from yesterday to January 20, after which he would revert to his previous bail conditions.
Ntabazalila said the State was not opposed to this application and welcomed the ruling of the presiding officer.
Carstens said she was disappointed the bail application could not be finalised so that the indictments could be served.
The plea agreements for Moses and Easter are in their last phases with the director of public prosecutions, she said.
She said Moses and Easter would plead guilty to possession of stolen property. With the plea agreement, the other charges would be would be withdrawn.
“Oliver would still apply for bail, and Jonas is under legal aid and I cannot comment on his situation.”
All parties have agreed to postpone the case to December 6.
Franziska was murdered almost a week after the half-naked body of 19-year-old Sinoxolo Mafevuka was found in a communal toilet in Khayelitsha.
Both murders brought gender-based violence into focus, and emphasised the divide in resources and assistance allocated to communities in rich and poor areas.
Franziska’s murder investigation yielded results, with arrests being made within two days.
It took two weeks for arrests to be made in Mafevuka’s case, and only after extensive media coverage by the Cape Times.