Pic: Supplied
The Mpumalanga High Court has provisionally withdrawn charges against the four men accused of the murder of Hillary Gardee.
The body of the 28-year-old was found dumped in bushes outside Mbombela in Mpumalanga shortly after she went missing in April 2022.
Gardee is the daughter of former Economic Freedom Fighters secretary-general turned attorney Godrich Gardee.
The four men, who allegedly killed Gardee, appeared in court on Wednesday for trial.
But National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said key state witnesses could not be traced.
She said Sipho Mkhatshwa , Philemon Lukhele, Albert Mduduzi Gama and Raise Nkuna were facing charges of murder, kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances and defeating the ends of justice.
“The prosecution will engage South African Police Service to trace the witnesses in the matter with the hope of reinstating the charges,” said Nyuswa.
Meanwhile, the EFF expressed its shock at the withdrawal of the case.
“This is not only sheer incompetence, as the realization that witnesses are suddenly not forthcoming occurs on the day of the trial but is also a demoralizing reflection of the unpreparedness of the state to prosecute perpetrators of gender-based violence,” the party said in a statement.
“The sudden disappearance of witnesses should be a cause for concern, as it raises the suspicion that they have either been intimidated or have been dealt with in a clandestine manner, which is all too frequent when it comes to whistleblowers in South Africa.”
