Pretoria - Sifiso Mkhwanazi, the 21-year-old man linked to the murder of at least one of six women believed to have been sex workers, briefly appeared at the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
His trial has been postponed to June 2.
It is believed that Mkhwanazi lured the women to his father’s panel-beating workshop in Selby Village, Johannesburg. Mkhwanazi was arrested after the discovery of six bodies at the panel-beating business on October 9, 2022.
During his last court appearance, the State requested the postponement due to outstanding DNA results and CCTV footage.
State advocate Tshepo Mahange kaMzizi explained that some of the bodies were in almost skeletal condition and beyond recognition.
So far, four out of the six bodies have been positively identified by their family members, while the DNA of the other two is yet to be confirmed.
He has only been charged with one count of murder so far because the State has been working on the identities of the other five bodies.
Before he was arrested, security personnel alerted Mkhwanazi’s father to a foul smell coming out of the building, which was detected by one of the workers. Upon arrival, police discovered the six bodies.
According to police, Mkhwanazi was previously arrested on rape charges in June 2021, but the charges were later withdrawn.
IOL