A man accused of murdering his 13-year-old neighbour and hiding her body in a hokkie has abandoned his bail application.
More than 50 people protested outside the Wynberg Magistrates’ Court yesterday calling for Andrew Plaatjies’ bail to be denied, but instead he did them a favour by choosing to remain behind bars.
Plaatjies allegedly confessed to killing little Rene-Tracy Roman who disappeared from her Lavender Hill home on 10 March.
The child’s half-naked body was found wrapped in a mat in a Wendy house just metres from her St Agatha Street home on 21 March.
Plaatjies, 50, made no eye contact with the public gallery, which was shared by the parents of murder victims Rene-Tracy and 11-year-old Stacha Arends of Mitchells Plain, who were all dressed in pink.
State prosecutor Louise Friester-Sampson informed the court that Plaatjies would not be going ahead with his planned bail application.
When asked to confirm his response by Magistrate Goolam Bawa, Plaatjies said yes.
Friester-Sampson said the case had to be postponed for six weeks to allow for the results of the post-mortem, forensics report and aerial shots of the crime scene.
The case was postponed to 23 June, which would have been Stacha's 12th birthday.
As he was led to the court holding cells, angry community members shouted, “J y is ‘n gemors" and “ jy moet dood”.
Outside court, a protest led by the Philisa Abafazi Bethu organisation of Lavender Hill and the Mitchells Plain Crisis Forum, celebrated their victory.
Community leader Lucinda Evans said court officials claimed their placard demonstration was illegal.
“They said we didn’t have permission to be here today but a letter was emailed a month ago,” she said.
“Did he [Plaatjies] get permission to take the life of an innocent child?”
The parents of the two murdered children shared tears and hugs.
Rene-Tracy’s mother, Chrissandre, refused to comment on Plaatjies’ decision, but her uncle Stephen de Villiers said the family was now eager to get the case over and done with.
Stacha’s uncle Henry Arends said the family had opened a case of intimidation against a certain family member of the accused, Randy Tango, after she allegedly harassed the child’s mother, Sandy Markgraf , accusing her of stopping the sale of their home.
“Sandy had nothing to do with the sale of the house being called off,” he said.
“The Mitchells Plain Crisis Forum also made contact with the agency for the sale to stop until the case is over.”
Last week, estate agency RealNet called off the sale after the Tango family had put their Matroosberg Crescent home on the market for R320 000.
Stacha disappeared on March 27 while watching movies at a friend’s home in the same street.
A day later, her naked and battered body was found dumped on Swartklip Sports Field.
Neighbour Tango allegedly confessed to raping and killing her and is expected to appear at the Mitchells Plain Magistrates’ Court on 3 May for a bail application.