With South Africa continuing to grapple with the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV), numerous cases face significant delays in the judicial system, leaving victims feeling hopeless and denied justice.
Action Society’s director, John Smith, emphasises that “the need for a specialised South African Police Service (SAPS) task force to address this alarming backlog is now more pressing than ever.”
The cases include that of Nadine Klaase, who was strangled to death in her bed in Vredendal North on 6 October 2023. The suspected killer was her boyfriend at the time, and he was arrested the night her body was discovered. Her body was found with multiple scratches on her skin, she had a bloodied nose, and a shoelace was tied around her neck. The case was heard in court on 24 February and was postponed to 26 March for plea negotiations.
Before the Paarl Magistrates Court is the case of Asiphe Cetywayo. Herdsmen found her mutilated body at the Vlakkeland dumping site on Monday, March 4, 2024. The 22-year-old student was raped and murdered the previous day, and her body was severely burnt with acid. The case was heard in court on 25 February 2025 and was provisionally postponed to 10 April.
The case of a 14-year-old girl who a group of young boys gang-raped continued in February in the Mitchells Plain Magistrates Court. What makes this case even more upsetting is the fact that the perpetrators (whose ages ranged between 6 and 17) recorded their sexual assault on the girl and distributed the footage to members of their community. The case was heard in court on 27 February, where three of the older boys appeared, and was postponed to 2 April.
Action Society approached the same in response to the convicted prosecutor’s leave to appeal in the rape case of a then 12-year-old girl with whom he co-resided at the time. On 31 October 2024, he was sentenced to 15 years direct imprisonment for her rape. Action Society said it will do all it can to prevent this man from manipulating the courts to get his freedom. The matter was heard in court on 28 February 2025 and was postponed to 14 March for leave to appeal.
The murder trial of Firdous Kleinsmidt continued in February. The 13-year-old girl was struck and killed by a stray bullet while she was awaiting transport from her school grounds. Her needless death highlights the need for improved safety for children in areas with high levels of gang violence. The case was heard in court on 3 March 2025 and was postponed to 19 March for further trial.
The Athlone Magistrates Court is dealing with the murder case of 26-year-old Melanie Stoffels. She was beaten to death with a hammer on 7 August 2024 in an apparent ‘hit’ organised by her ex-girlfriend in Heideveld. She was pregnant at the time of her murder. The attacker handed himself over to the police on 11 August, and the ex-girlfriend was arrested later that month. The case was heard in court on 3 March 2025 and postponed to 24 April for further investigation.
Action Society has been mandated to assist the family of Joshlin Marthinus, a 27-year-old mother who was killed by her ex-boyfriend in September 2024 in Atlantis in the Western Cape. The matter was heard in court on 3 March 2025 and was postponed to 10 April.
The murder suspect in Nosiphiwo James’s case will have to continue with the trial without the option of a get-out-of-jail loophole. His bail application in terms of Section 49G(3) of the Correctional Services Act of 1998 in South Africa was denied on 5 March. This section of the Act states that a remand detainee must be referred to court if their detention will exceed two years.
The murder case of Aaliyah Chingy, a 20-year-old woman, continued in March of 2025. Her body was discovered in a shallow grave in February 2023. The main suspect, her boyfriend, was arrested and is still in police custody. The case was heard on 3 March 2025 and was provisionally postponed to 12 May in the Belville Regional Court.
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