- The family of a slain woman accused of witchcraft has been left fuming by ongoing delays in the Protea Magistrate's Court.
- The family had expected to hear a bail application by accused Collen Sello, 27, and Taelo Dipholo, 28, but the case was adjourned.
- The pair was allegedly part of a mob that assaulted and torched Jostina Sangweni.
Another court delay sparked by a water shortage has left the family of a murdered woman accused of witchcraft fuming.
The bail application by Collen Sello, 27, and Taelo Dipholo, 28, was adjourned again because of a lack of water at the Protea Magistrate's Court in Soweto.
The case could not be heard last week, as there was no water on the premises.
Sello and Dipholo are alleged to have been part of a mob that assaulted and torched Jostina Sangweni, 59, on 26 March.
Sangweni suffered with schizophrenia.
After being found in a yard in Mapetla, Soweto, she was attacked by the mob who claimed she was a witch. Sangweni succumbed to her injuries eight days later in hospital.
Sello and Dipholo were not brought to court from prison on Tuesday. Their case was postponed in absentia.
Family spokesperson Jabulani Moagi said the interminable delays were frustrating and delaying justice.
"We are disappointed by these postponements. When is the matter going to be resolved? The delays are adding more to our grief. We don't know if, during their next appearance, there would be another excuse.
"We want closure. We want to know what happened to our mother. We still have confidence in the law."
Details
Moagi added he hoped the bail application would reveal details of what happened that tragic day.
"We plead with the court to deny them bail. We will pray hard that the matter is heard. We are struggling psychologically to cope as a family.
"Accusing a person of being a witch without any shred of evidence is wrong. They [her attackers] didn't have evidence corroborating their accusation that our mother was a witch. She was not even carrying muthi when she was attacked.
"They didn't afford her a chance to explain why she was in their yard. They failed to spare her life even when she hysterically pleaded for mercy," he said.
The case has been postponed to 26 May.