Pretoria -
The 29-year-old man implicated in the murder and rape of two Diepsloot toddlers appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on Monday.
The case was postponed to Thursday, when he would join four other men implicated in the murder of two-year-old Yonelisa Mali and her three-year-old cousin, Zandile.
One man in court said he was shocked to see that the suspect was a young South African man.
“Looking at this young boy, I couldn't believe my eyes,” said Mzolisi Mbikwana.
Speaking outside the court, National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Medupe Simasiku said the man had confessed to the killings.
“He has confessed (to police to) two charges of murder, rape and kidnapping,” said Simasiku.
The suspect has yet to plead.
He was arrested in Alexandra on Friday last week after fleeing Diepsloot following the discovery of the girls' bodies in a communal toilet on Tuesday.
The girls had been reported missing several days earlier.
Speaking outside court on Monday, Women, Children and People with Disabilities Minister Lulu Xingwana said the accused should not get bail.
“They do not deserve bail because our children are not safe,” she said.
Xingwana called on the courts to impose the harshest punishment for criminals who targeted children. - Sapa