Johannesburg - The family of slain Reiger Park toddler, Cuburne van Wyk, on Wednesday said the constant postponements of the case against the man accused of killing him were unbearable.
“Every time they postpone, it hurts me more and more,” said Daphne Fredericks, the three-year-old victim's grandmother.
She and the boy's mother cried as they spoke to the press outside the Boksburg Magistrate's Court, where the case against Nathaniel Katlego Mpoku was again postponed.
“At this moment, I'm very hurt. I don't know what to say anymore because I'm tired,” Fredericks said.
The State last week asked for a postponement, stating that the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) needed more time to decide on the matter.
It gave the same reasons for requesting a postponement on Wednesday.
Dressed in a white T-shirt with a picture of the boy, Fredericks said the family was not going to enjoy the festive season.
“It's already Christmas.”
She asked how they were meant to celebrate without knowing whether the case would proceed. She was praying for progress in the matter.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Nathi Mncube explained that such cases took time to finalise. He said it usually took longer than two weeks for the NDPP to study the docket and decide on a way forward.
Mncube was confident the matter would proceed when it returned to court on January 5.
Mpoku allegedly killed Van Wyk, from an informal settlement in Reiger Park, Ekurhuleni, in August. He disappeared on August 6 while playing outside with his siblings.
His body was discovered by a passer-by at a mine dump in Reiger Park three days later. Police said he died from multiple head injuries and burns.
Mpoku was arrested and charged for his murder several days later. - Sapa