PROTESTORS AT DBN HIGH COURT AGAINST VIOLENT CRIME

SEVERAL hundred friends of the deceased Jennifer-Rae Hall who was killed during a hijacking at Amanzimtoti, south of Durban in June 2008 demonstrated with red ribbons against crime before the Durban High Court on Monday.
The demonstration with its attendant noise almost disrupted the court proceedings was organised by Durban residents across social standing who said in unison that South African authorities have to do something tangible to stem the tide of violent crime.

The group led by the London-based Hayley Short said they had decided to embark on a "Red for Jen" anti-crime campaign in order to raise worldwide awareness against the senseless, violent crime that was ravaging defenceless citizens in South Africa.

"We, as friends of Jennifer Rae-Hall, strongly feel enough is enough to this senseless and violent crime rate presently taking place al over South Africa.
Three young, innocent and defenceless women on their way to a 'girls-only caravan park' were attacked and killed by thugs in broad daylight along the highway and Jennifer-Rae lost her life" lamented Short.

According to senior state advocate Bheki Manyathi,the accussed person Sifundo Mkhize (23 years) is facing three criminal charges of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and attempted murder.
The trial was set down for six days, starting on Monday 8 to Monday 15, 2008 at the E-court before Judge Ron McLaren.
According to the charge sheet, the state alleges that three wonen (i.e Jennifer-Rae Hall, Kate Flemming and Amy Lansdell) were brutally attacked at or about 15h00 in the afternoon after they had stopped their vehicle to change the drivers when two men charged at them and demanded vehicle keys.
The two thugs shot Hall at pointblank and she died on the scene, Flemming was short in the vpelvis but survived, and Lansdell too was attacked and suffered serious injuries before the pepertrators fled the crime scene by driving with the victims vehicle.

The investigating officer Inspector Francious Esterhuizen from the Provincial Highjacking Team said 'we definitely have a very strong case against the accussed eventhough we did not track and find him in the vehicle and I have subpoena/ed four local people as witnesses to testify against the accussed.
To date, we have not apprehended the second accussed person and are investigations continues'.

However, advocate Thiagaraj Prem Pillay from the Durban Justice Centre representing the accussed informed reporter that they have got a sound defence.
"My his client intends to plead not guilty to the criminal charges levelled against him.
We intend to argue that he was not present at the crime scene and that he tortured by the SAPS members and was forced under duress to admit knowledge of the stolen vehicle from the victims" said Pillay.
Ends