Johannesburg - Angry Muldersdrift residents, friends and relatives of two people murdered in the area in the past two weeks gathered at the Krugersdorp Magistrate’s Court this morning to protest against the rampant crime gripping their community.
They also wanted assurances that the men held for the latest murder of Andre Jordaan, scheduled to appear in court this morning, would not be granted bail.
Jordaan was shot seven times on Thursday night and died at Bara Hospital on Saturday.
Suspects arrested for the murder of 13-year-old Alyssa Botha - who lived in the same street as Jordaan and was shot dead by intruders on September 5 - were released two days after they were arrested.
This was apparently due to insufficient evidence against them.
About 100 people from the crime-hit areas of Krugersdorp, Muldersdrift, Magaliesburg and Hekpoort sang and danced in front of the court, brandishing placards protesting against crime and calling for the court not to grant of bail.
Among the protesters was Alyssa’s sister Meghan who was accompanied by a few schoolmates from Monument Hoërskool.
Meghan was shot in both legs and her dad Anton was shot in the abdomen during the attack in which Alyssa was murdered.
Limping and with a bandage around her thigh, Meghan said she was at the court this morning to protest against the crime against her younger sister. Her mother could not attend the protest, she said, as “it is still too soon for her”.
“It [crime in the area] is ridiculous, it needs to stop,” said the 17-year-old schoolgirl.
Meghan said funeral arrangements for her sister had not yet been made as the family was waiting for her father to recover enough to be able to attend.
There was still a lot of anger after the suspects arrested for Alyssa’s murder were released.
And when Brigadier Dalipkumar Baijnath from the Krugersdorp police station adressed the protesters, he told them that the men arrested for Jordaan’s murder had been linked to the crime and that goods stolen from the deceased’s house had been found in their possession.
“We are using forensics to link them to other crimes and it’s looking positive,” he said.
The brigadier also told the protesters that their efforts to march to the court and also meet with the police indicated the need for a crusade against crime to be launched.
The Star