Vuyiswa Leeuw’s bail application started on Friday, when her case was postponed due to insufficient time to cross-examine the investigating officer. Arguing for bail, her new legal representative cited her six-month pregnancy as a high risk. 

Leeuw’s daughter, Katleho, 3, was reported missing in October. A passerby found her body two days later in dense vegetation near the settlement north of Bloemfontein.  

The 29-year-old is facing charges of kidnapping and murder of a family member’s five-year-old, Onkarabetse Leeuw. He was laid to rest in the Glen cemetery on 20 November, next to his second-cousin Katleho. On the same day, Leeuw’s case was postponed due to its high profile and public interest.

During Friday’s court proceedings, investigating officer Sgt Jan Greef gave background on Katleho’s murder. Investigations revealed she was also sexually assaulted, he testified. Greef opposed bail based on community threats that they would harm Leeuw if she returned. 

A male family member, 30, was arrested for the alleged murder and sexual assault of Katleho. His case will continue in the same court on Monday, 26 January.  

“The matter of the Glen murder suspect was postponed to January,” said Free State NPA spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane. “The suspect was meant to go for a 30-day evaluation (at the Free State psychiatric hospital), and he hasn’t gone yet.”

Onkarabetse’s mother, Rethabile (20), a cousin of Leeuw, reported her son missing at the Glen police station on Saturday, 8 November. After an extensive search, his body was found four days later under a cardboard box in dense vegetation on the southern outskirts of the settlement.

“The mothers of the two young victims are cousins who both live in Glen. It is alleged that Leeuw kidnapped and murdered Onkarabetse in retaliation for Katleho’s alleged kidnapping and murder by a close relative of Onkarabetse.” 

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OFM News/Zenande Mpame mvh