PORT ELIZABETH - The case against two women accused of aborting 25 foetuses and disposing of the bodies was once again postponed in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate’s court on Tuesday.
More than two years after their arrest, the case was this time postponed because their attorney has yet to receive financial instruction. The police investigation is completed but at this stage there is no trial date in sight.
A registered nurse, Lulama Cabela, and her sister and alleged receptionist, Babalwa Cabela, were arrested in February 2016 and are facing 25 counts of concealment of birth.
The women are out on bail of R5,000 each. Police discovered several foetuses packed into a deep freezer, with 25 of the bodies being fully formed.
At the time of their arrest, police said that the ongoing investigation followed complaints from a hospital which dealt with complications in patients that arose from illegal abortions. The charge sheet indicated that Lulama Cabela was employed as a registered nurse at a facility which provided pre-natal and post-natal care to mother and child.
The state alleges that the nurse used the facility and her home to perform abortions on pregnant women from the 13 week gestation period onwards. The investigating officer’s affidavit revealed how he had obtained a search warrant and visited a clinic in central Port Elizabeth where he discovered frozen foetuses in red packets packed to the brim in a freezer.
The case against the pair was postponed to August 2 for the women to provide financial instruction to their attorney.