The man accused of murdering his mother and then hiding her body in a wheelie bin has appointed a new lawyer on the day his trial was expected to begin.
The trial of Shakoor Roberts, 24, was set to begin at the Mitchells Plain Regional Court yesterday, but it was delayed when his Legal Aid lawyer removed himself from the case.
Roberts’ newly appointed Legal Aid lawyer, only identified as Cloete, will now represent him during his trial.
Witnesses who were set to testify were also warned to be back at court on 5 June when the trial resumes.
Roberts is yet to plead to the charge of murder of his mother, Gafsa Roberts, 61.
Gafsa’s badly decomposed body was discovered by a neighbour inside a wheelie bin outside her home in Winterhoek Street, Tafelsig, in March 2015, after she went missing.
Family members could only identify the well-known resident by her toes and her hair.
It is believed Gafsa was beaten to death, but a cause of death was never established.
Shakoor, who lived alone with his sickly mother, was arrested and charged the same day.
Gafsa suffered from liver disease and pancreatic cancer. She was also diabetic.
However, the charges against Shakoor were provisionally withdrawn two days after his arrest due to a lack of evidence.
Family members also claim Shakoor is a satanist and that his mother feared him.
They said Gafsa would sleep with a knife under her pillow and that inside the house is written “I am God”.
Roberts was diagnosed with schizophrenia.