Residents picket outside the Temba Magistrate’s Court, where two men appeared for the rape and murder of Amanda Tsatsi, 72. Picture: Betty Moleya
Pretoria - Scores of people yesterday rallied behind the family of 74-year-old Amanda Tsatsi from Ngobi village in the North West when two suspects in her murder case appeared at the Temba Magistrate’s Court.
Tsatsi was found dead last Tuesday, on Women’s Day. She had been allegedly attacked, raped and murdered on Saturday August 7 by two men aged 35 and 40.
The two suspects appeared briefly in the court, and the matter was postponed to August 26 as one of the suspects had no legal representation.
ActionSA regional chairperson Oupa Mathibela emphasised the issue of safety for the elderly who lived alone. He said there was need for mechanisms to protect the elderly, especially in places like Ngobi, where a majority were elderly.
Different political parties and community members rallied behind the family of Koko Tsatsi, 74, who was murdered last week. Two suspects appeared at Temba Magistrate's Court in Hammanskraal for her murder. #Murder #Court pic.twitter.com/mGZQsrS2O7
— Pretoria News (@pretorianews) August 17, 2022
Mathibela said police visibility in the area would help in lessening crime in the community, and he called on the court not to give the suspects bail because the community believed they did not deserve it.
Mayor of Moretele Local municipality, Masango Manyike, said they were against gender-based violence and added that drugs were among the things that lead to violent crimes.
Manyike said they would soon hold an imbizo that would address the issue of gender-based violence.
Family relative Thabang Sebotsane said the accused were known to Tsatsi, as they were from the same community.
“As a family we heartbroken. This is not just a scourge that has come through in our family, but a national crisis. We believe as a family that these perpetrators deserve the harshest sentence possible.”
Lillian Kgote, another relative, said the accused took money and a cellphone belonging to Tsatsi.
Kgote said the community would take the law into their own hands if the accused were released, and called for return of the death penalty.
Pretoria News