TUESDAY marks exactly a year since the gruesome discovery of the body of 21-year-old Phuthi Ramara, who was found murdered in the Protea Glen extension 13’s playgrounds.
The teen was reported to have been beaten, raped, and then strangled to death with her pants, left naked only to be discovered on Monday, December 7, 2020.
And although the 35-year-old accused, known as Themba, has been arrested, the case has seen many delays that have left the family feeling defeated.
Family spokesperson and uncle to the deceased Ellias Mokwena this week said the delays have denied them a chance to heal.
“This thing is very tough because we thought by now justice would have been served and all that we would be doing is healing, but instead we live with the constant reminder that our daughter and niece is gone and nothing is being done,” said the distraught uncle.
“You don’t even know where the bottleneck is in terms of who is to blame. Whether it is the justice system, or the police, we just don’t know where the hold up is. Every appearance presents a new reason to postpone,” making reference to the latest postponement on November 30, due to the accused wanting to apply for bail.
The application will be heard on December 9. The matter will be heard at the High Court.
“It is just so painful. We have gotten to the point where we are despondent because when you look at the merits of the remands, they don’t have valid reasons. On our side, we are being played like a merry-go-round,” he said.
On the other hand, Phuthi’s mother, Sibongile Ramara is positive that justice will be served, even though it has been a painful year to bear.
The young mother was visiting her mother (Phuthi’s grandmother who raised the youngster) when she spoke to the Sunday Independent as the family is making preparations to meet and celebrate Phuti’s life.
“I just can’t help but think what my daughter would be like a year later. As we near the anniversary of her death, I am not okay. It hurts all over again, especially because we have been waiting to hear something concrete.
“I still haven’t heard any word from him... Reasons as to why he killed my daughter or at least some explanation of what happened that led to the death of my daughter. Nothing.
“Imagine the pain of living in the dark, trying to accept a death that has no explanation. It is difficult really,” she said.
But even in pain, she is hopeful.
“Let’s hope this will be the last trick up his sleeve and that we will get to trial. What I heard is that he has a lot of other cases and those have strengthened our case against him. Let’s hope my daughter will get justice,” she said.
Friends from as far as Diepkloof will join the family in Protea Glen to commemorate Phuthi’s life, while the local youth are said to be working on a memorial park – right by her family home – which will be named after her. The proposal is still being discussed with the relevant councillor.
Meanwhile, newly elected ward 135 councillor Phelelani Sindani said they were closely monitoring the situation and are happy that the alleged perpetrator has been arrested.
“Even though he hasn’t been sentenced and there are many postponements, we want to believe the system is doing everything in its power to make sure that they don’t leave any stone unturned. That by the time we get to trial, there are no loopholes. That is the only benefit of the doubt we are giving them.
“Other than that, our justice system has shown many times that they (law enforcement authorities) don’t have the capacity. You look at the looting that took place in the country and you listen to how the minister is blaming the commissioner and vice-versa, that just goes to show that if you have people at the highest level who do not want to take responsibility, it creates a problem of unaccountability,” he said.
Protea Glen, again, recently made headlines with the gruesome discovery of body parts in Protea Glen ext 28, raising concerns about the crime rate in the township.
“The are numerous efforts that we want to implement that we believe will help in these despicable crimes that we see in Protea Glen. It is a joint effort operation, but a necessary one. We will not allow criminals to run rampant but we want to turn the situation around,” he said.
@AmandaMaliba