Lauren Isaacs20 August 2024 | 5:48

Anti-GBV group wants teen accused in Deveney Nel murder to be tried as an adult

The 17-year-old boy appeared briefly in the Caledon Magistrates Court on Monday and the case was postponed to next month for further investigation.

Anti-GBV group wants teen accused in Deveney Nel murder to be tried as an adult

The late Overberg High School pupil, Deveney Nel. Picture: Facebook/Reeva Rebecca Steenkamp Foundation

CAPE TOWN - An anti-GBV organisation wants the teenage suspect accused of murdering Caledon pupil, Deveney Nel, to be tried as an adult due to the severity of the crime he allegedly committed.

The 17-year-old boy appeared briefly in the Caledon Magistrates Court on Monday and the case was postponed to next month for further investigation.

The accused, who was arrested on Friday, has been sent to a place of safety until he is due back in the dock on 18 September.

Shortly after 16-year-old Deveney was reported missing two weeks ago, her body was found in a storeroom on the premises of Overberg High School.

The grade 10 learner had been stabbed.

One Billion Rising SA activist in Caledon, Tanya Bippert: "The court proceeding was closed to the public as the alleged perpetrator is a minor. Communities across Theewaterskloof came together to show support to Deveney's family. We stood with one message: No bail and justice for Deveney. We ask that her perpetrator be tried as an adult as we need to consider the severity of the crime committed against an innocent life."