A Manenberg oupa accused of murdering his teen girlfriend and then stuffing her lifeless body into a wheelie bin has been sent to the mang.
Gavin “Nanganang” Manuel, 49, made his first appearance at the Athlone Magistrates’ Court yesterday for the gruesome murder 19-year-old Elene Lino.
After being on the run for about a week, Manuel was busted on Friday night following an intensive manhunt after he fled Manenberg.
On Monday, he appeared bang as he stood in the dock facing Magistrate Keith le Keur.
Last week Sunday, Manuel was caught red-handed by family friend, Candice Baartman, 26, as he pushed the bin with Elene’s body inside.
At the time, Candice explained the couple had been arguing that night. She returned home and found Manuel busy with the bin and dirt was strewn around the yard.
When she saw blood on his T-shirt and questioned him, he allegedly told her that his estranged wife, Washiela, 49, had sent people to moer him.
But Candice says she chased after him after she saw blood in the house. She says he abandoned the bin near Olga Court and fled.
At court, the state prosecutor relayed Candice’s testimony and told the court that a second witness had also come forward to tell cops that he witnessed Manuel pushing the bin during the early hours on 9 January.
The case was postponed to 24 January for a bail information hearing.
Meanwhile, hundreds of residents are expected to gather at Pam Court for Elene’s funeral this morning.
Candice says the family is happy with the arrest but still traumatised by the horrific murder.
“The family is happy that he was caught but we are still very hartseer and traumatised. I had to go to the ID parade and I can’t sleep. We will be burying her [today] but we are still in shock. It feels unreal,” she tells the Daily Voice.
Vanessa Adriaanse of the Community Police Forum (CPF) says they will be petitioning Magistrate Le Keur to deny Manuel’s bail application at his next appearance.
“We will mobilise in our numbers to be at court. Other organisations working with gender-based violence cases have made contact with us,” she says.
“He cannot be a part of society after what he did to the victim. We also need to oppose bail to stop the community from taking the law into their own hands.”
This after residents bayed for his blood during a manhunt for Manuel last week.