Hundreds of community members turned up at the local magistrate’s court in Mount Fletcher, Eastern Cape, South Africa in support of a woman charged with murdering a suspected rapist.
Reports had it that the 46-year-old man was killed, allegedly by a 33-year-old mother of three, at her home on Sunday.
On Monday, Legal Aid attorney Hlanga Mondliwa said in an affidavit the woman would plead not guilty to murder. She had no previous convictions and worked as a cashier at a national chain store.
Prosecutor Tshepo Sekhosana said the state would not oppose bail and that the accused was co-operating. The court granted her R1,000 bail and postponed the matter to May 7 for further investigation.
In a press statement, Saps Capt Raphael Motloung said it was alleged the woman had been asleep when a man entered her house at about midnight. There had been a knock and the door was opened by force.
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“Someone came into the house and it was dark inside. It is alleged the woman jumped out of bed and went straight to the door and pushed the figure/person outside.
“She took a stone/facebrick and hit him hard in the face with it in self-defence”.
“At the same time, the [intruder] tried to assault her as well and later [the intruder] fell down and became unconscious in front of the house, where he had fallen.”
The man was rushed in a private vehicle to a hospital, where he died, said Motloung.
Men and women, many in ANC regalia, travelled from all areas of Joe Gqabi district to court for the woman’s appearance. Placards held aloft read: “Free Bail”, “You are a women’s hero”, and “[She] is the victim”.
Joe Gqabi ANC Women’s League district chairperson Nomvuyo Mphoselwa and regional Sanco co-ordinator Lubabalo Mantame led the march to the court.
The pair said while they did not support taking the law into your own hands, victims had “split seconds to decide either to succumb to the demands of the attacker or wage an attack in self-defence”.
They said: ”What would you do if someone came into your home at night, and demanded that you take off your clothes, and you have young children around too? If you have the strength, you use everything at your disposal to defend yourself.
“She (the accused) is a woman of prayer; we thank God for having given her the strength to fight off her assailant, but it is unfortunate that [the alleged intruder] died. We come here to give her support,” the alliance representatives said.
NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said police would have to ascertain whether the killing was intentional, provoked or in self-defence, and the circumstances around it.
“Even if there are allegations of self-defence and attempted rape we cannot simply act on rumours and decline to prosecute without facts,” said Tyali.
