The 17-year-old boy charged with the murder of Deveney Nel will be kept in a place of safety until his next court appearance next month.
This comes as a second knife attack on another pupil, this time in Paarl, has elicited further outrage in the province. Lee-Hogan Williams and a friend were robbed on Friday night. Williams was stabbed with a knife and died on the scene.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila confirmed the 17-year-old boy’s appearance at the Caledon Magistrate’s Court on Monday in connection with the murder of Deveney, after his arrest last week.
“The case was adjourned to September 18 for further investigation. He is charged with murder. He will be kept at a place of safety,” said Ntabazalila.
Deveney was reported missing after she had not returned home from school.
Her body was found with multiple stab wounds in a school storeroom at Hoërskool Overberg on August 14, following an extensive search.
Police made a breakthrough in their investigation on Friday when they arrested the suspect.
Meanwhile, police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi confirmed the stabbing murder of Williams, aged 19, in Paarl after they responded to an alert for help at the Fairyland Cemetery.
Swartbooi said a murder investigation is under way.
“(Police) heard someone screaming for help. They were then confronted by a man who took them to the victim and informed the police members that unknown men stabbed the victim while both of them were robbed.
“On arrival of the medical personnel at the scene, they declared the 19-year-old man deceased. The unknown suspects fled the scene and they are yet to be arrested. The motive for this attack is robbery.”
Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Anroux Marais urged the public to come forward with any information on the incident.
“The murder of Lee-Hogan Williams, a learner at Paulus Joubert Secondary School in Paarl, is a heinous crime. This is the second Western Cape learner to die from stab wounds in two weeks.
“This violence against the school-going youth of the Western Cape cannot stand,” said Marais.
Anti-GBV organisation Ilitha Labantu spokesperson Siyabulela Monakali demanded justice for the murder of Deveney.
“The violent death of Deveney, whose body was discovered with multiple stab wounds in a school storeroom, has sent shock waves through the community and underscores the urgent need for decisive action to address the escalating violence in our schools.
“This horrific incident not only devastates the families involved, but also raises serious concerns about the safety and well-being of all students.
“Schools are meant to be sanctuaries for learning and development, yet they have increasingly become battlegrounds where violence festers and young lives are lost.
“The rise in violence among youth within our educational institutions is a disturbing reflection of the broader societal issues we face, including toxic masculinity, socio-economic hardships and the absence of adequate support systems for vulnerable youth,” Monakali said.
Cape Times