Mzimhle Jikwana, accused of murdering 2-year-old Oyingcwele Zokufa, has decided not to apply for bail in the Wynberg Magistrate's Court on Wednesday.
"He consulted with me this morning and he indicated to me that at this stage he would not like to apply for bail, your worship," said his Legal Aid attorney, Kyle Jason, News24 reported.
Prosecutor Nicky Konisi asked for a lengthy delay due to a post-mortem report, aerial photographs, cellphone records and three additional witness statements still being outstanding.
Magistrate Goolam Bawa postponed the case to January 19. Jikwana faces charges of murder and abduction. Family members, including the toddler's mother, Siphesihle Zokufa, were present in the packed courtroom.
Zokufa's body was found in a shallow grave in bushes on the side of the N2 near Philippi on August 30 after he went missing four days earlier.
Women and children's organisation Ilitha Labantu submitted a letter asking that the accused not be released on bail.
"As a community and we, as an organisation, feel that this is a perpetrator that preys on innocent children and he therefore does not deserve to be part of any community," read the letter, which social worker Zoliswa Mbekwa signed.