‘First it was Senzo Meyiwa and now it’s Taegrin’

Angry Reiger Park residents staged a sit-in outside the Boksburg Magistrate's Court on Friday demanding answers from a prosecutor about why charges against an accused man in the Taegrin Morris case were dropped.

"We are not going anywhere until prosecutor [Matshediso] Moleko explains to us why charges have been dropped against the suspect," said community leader Hein April.

"First it was [Bafana Bafana captain] Senzo Meyiwa and now it's Taegrin… in the same court."

In a brief session on Friday, the court withdrew charges against Thamsanqa Twala, who was accused of being involved in the death of four-year-old Taegrin Morris.

The State had decided to withdraw the charges, Moleko told the court.

Magistrate E Magamba asked her: "You mean all charges?"

Moleko responded:" Yes your worship. All charges against Twala are withdrawn."

Moleko did not give reasons for the withdrawal of charges.

The proceedings, which took less than two minutes, angered supporters and relatives in the public gallery.

They started screaming and pointing to the magistrate and prosecutor shouting: "Genoeg is genoeg. Nee Man [Enough is enough. No man.]"

They pointed at Magamba and Moleko as the two left the courtroom.

Police and security guards ushered the angry people out of the court building. They then gathered outside and started singing.

"We are hurt and distraught, but I want to say that that man is free now, but not free in the eyes of God…. His day is coming," said Taegrin's aunt Gladys Smith.

Police kept a close eye on them.

Four-year-old Morris died when his parents' Volkswagen Golf was hijacked in Reiger Park, on the East Rand, in July. Three men approached the car in which Morris, his sister and parents were travelling and ordered the family out.

The boy was caught in his seatbelt and dragged along the road as the hijackers drove off. The car was abandoned in Boksburg.

Source : Sapa /gm/jk/cls/jje