The trial of two men accused of killing a day mother and a five-month-old baby boy was postponed in the Delmas Magistrate's Court on Thursday, Mpumalanga police said.
“The case was postponed until next week Thursday (June 14) for a formal bail application,” Lt-Col Leonard Hlathi said.
Enock Mbele, 44, and Lazarus Mabhena, 54, previously applied for bail but it was denied as further investigations needed to be done.
Margrietha de Goede, 66, and the baby were found strangled in her home on May 23. De Goede's body was found under a carpet in an outside room. The baby was found under a bed in the main house.
The Democratic Alliance protested outside the court on Thursday, calling for a border and rural safety division within the police.
Spokesman Mmusi Maimane said in a statement he and Mpumalanga party leader Anthony Benadie led the protest outside court where the two men appeared.
“The DA’s rural safety policy, sent to (President Jacob Zuma on Thursday), is a blueprint for ensuring the safety of all rural South Africans.”
The policy called for the specialised division, a rural intelligence centre to monitor criminal activity, rural reaction units to respond to crimes, and support for police reservist and community policing forums.
“This rural safety division will empower rural South Africans to protect themselves. It will create a network of co-operation among communities in rural towns and villages, as well as on farms,” Maimane said. - Sapa