Protesters want swift justice
Plettenberg Bay residents and children’s rights groups will be marching through the town’s streets on Saturday, May 22 following yet another postponement in the case involving the man who allegedly killed eight-year-old Sesona Bhayibhile.
The 18-year-old accused Lulama Candani briefly appeared in the Plettenberg Bay Magistrate’s Court on Monday, May 18 to address issues around his psychiatric evaluation.
In April, Candani insisted on being sent for psychiatric evaluation at the Valkenberg Hospital in Cape Town, but in the meantime it has come to light that Candani was number 118 on the hospital’s admissions waiting list.
On Monday, the court heard that Valkenberg staff were working on speeding up his admission process. The case was therefore postponed until June 15.
Women and Men Against Child Abuse (WMACA) local member Yvette Wilschut said they were planning a march on Saturday through the town’s Main Street in an attempt to place pressure on authorities to deal with the matter swiftly.
“We need the accused to be admitted to Valkenberg quickly as every time he appears in court, Sesona’s mother has to sit there and relive the horrors of her child being ripped away from her like that,” Wilschut said.
The march is set to start at 11:00 from the Grand Hotel in the town’s Main Street from where residents will march to the local police station.
Local members of WMACA, the ANC Women’s League and the Green Hearts also protested outside court when Candani appeared on Monday.
Candani is accused of murdering the little girl. He allegedly slit her throat and hid her body in dense bushes just a few metres from her home.
Sesona went missing on Sunday, December 7 after playing with friends near Candani’s home.
When she did not return by 18:00 that evening her mother went searching for her, but could not find her. Local street committees and police also joined in the search, but efforts were unsuccessful.
The following day Candani was also reported missing by his family, but he later handed himself over to police in Knysna on December 9 and pointed out where the body was hidden.
He was arrested and appeared in court several times since. He did not apply for bail.