Charges against Hillary Gardee murder accused provisionally withdrawn
The Mpumalanga High Court has provisionally withdrawn charges against the four men accused of the murder of Hillary Gardee.
The body of 28-year-old Gardee was found shortly after she went missing in April last year.
Gardee was the daughter of former EFF secretary-general turned attorney Godrich Gardee.
Her body was found dumped in the bushes outside Mbombela in Mpumalanga in May 2022.
The four men, who allegedly killed Gardee, appeared in court on Wednesday for trial.
But National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Monica Nyuswa says key state witnesses have refused to testify.
“It transpired that the key state witnesses in the matter are no longer willing to testify, which the NPA only learnt about it this morning. Then we had no choice but to provisionally withdraw the charges against the four men.
“What is likely to happen now is that the NPA will engage all the witnesses to find out the reasons why they are not willing to testify.”
Meanwhile, in a statement the EFF has expressed its shock at the withdrawal of the case.
“This is not only sheer incompetence, as the realization that witnesses are suddenly not forthcoming occurs on the day of the trial but is also a demoralizing reflection of the unpreparedness of the state to prosecute perpetrators of gender-based violence,” the party said in a statement.
“The sudden disappearance of witnesses should be a cause for concern, as it raises the suspicion that they have either been intimidated or have been dealt with in a clandestine manner, which is all too frequent when it comes to whistleblowers in South Africa.”
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