The State is set to oppose bail for Matome Victor Rampedi, who is accused of murdering Ntombifuthu Nxumalo, whose body was found at Mooifontein Cemetery in the Vusimusi section of Tembisa last month.
Rampedi appeared in the Tembisa Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, where the State indicated it was ready to proceed with his formal bail application.
However, his defence requested additional time to consult with him.
The court postponed the matter to 19 October for the formal bail application, with Rampedi remaining in custody.
Nxumalo’s body was discovered at the cemetery on 26 September. She was found naked and had suffered serious head injuries.
The State alleges that she was fatally assaulted.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), preliminary investigations indicate that Nxumalo had been drinking at a local tavern with a female acquaintance before leaving in the company of Rampedi.
Residents living near the cemetery allegedly heard a woman screaming and pleading for her life during the incident.
Police subsequently traced Rampedi to an address in Tembisa.
Further investigations indicated that he had fled to Limpopo, where he was arrested in Mohlabaneng Village with the assistance of members of the South African Police Service in the province.
NPA Gauteng spokesperson Magaboke Mohlatlole, said the State was ready to proceed with the bail proceedings and would oppose Rampedi’s release.
“The State is committed to ensuring that the circumstances surrounding Nxumalo’s death are fully ventilated before court and that justice is pursued for her and her family,” Mohlatlole said.
The murder has also added to mounting concern over the killings of women in Ekurhuleni, where 12 women’s bodies have been found since July.
The victims were found in different parts of the metro, with the circumstances surrounding their deaths forming part of separate police investigations.
President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation on 29 September amid growing concern over the killings, saying the violence against women was a source of “profound pain and national shame”.
At the time of his address, Ramaphosa said the discovery of another woman’s body in Springs had brought the number of women’s bodies found in Ekurhuleni since July to 11. Nxumalo’s body had been found in Tembisa three days earlier.
Ramaphosa said the government was bringing together its available capabilities to establish what had happened and identify those responsible. He also appealed to members of the public with information to come forward.
The President announced a number of measures in response to the crisis, including a national operation to review unresolved murders, attempted murders, rapes and serious sexual offences involving women and children. Government also committed to addressing forensic backlogs and improving safety in public spaces.
Ramaphosa stressed that women should not have to change the way they live their lives because of the threat of violence.
“The heritage of our women is that they must be able to walk around without any fear that they will be attacked or raped or killed,” he said during Heritage Day celebrations before his national address.
Authorities have not established that all the Ekurhuleni killings are connected, and the arrest of Rampedi in the Nxumalo murder does not, on its own, establish a link between her death and the other cases.
For the NPA, the immediate focus remains securing justice in the murder case.
Mohlatlole said the prosecution would oppose bail and pursue the matter diligently.
The formal bail application on 19 October is expected to set out the State’s case for keeping Rampedi behind bars while the investigation and prosecution proceed.
