Slain Pretty Mahlangu's family slams slow progress of case

JOHANNESBURG - The family of a teenager killed after she was run over by a car during a traditional ceremony in June has slammed what they say is the slow progress of the case.

Thirteen-year-old Pretty Mahlangu died in hospital after she was hit by a car during a traditional coming-of-age ceremony in Germiston, Ekurhuleni.

On Wednesday, the case against the driver of the car, 68-year-old Martha van der Walt, was postponed for further investigation.

ALSO READ: Attorney of woman accused of killing Pretty Mahlangu says they have different version of incident

Van der Walt was granted R5000 bail, which has been extended by the Germiston Magistrates Court.

Spokesperson for the Mahlangu family, Mzwandile Soyaya, said they are fighting for the charge to be changed from culpable homicide to murder.

"Today, we were hoping that maybe the magistrate would tell us that maybe they are changing the charge from culpable homicide to murder, but unfortunately, it was a matter of tussling between the defendant's attorney as well as the state in terms of allowing the media to come in. Her lawyer was stating that this thing has been spun another way by the media and all of that. That's not what we're here for."

During last month’s proceedings, the magistrate instructed the investigating officer, Colonel Mahlangu, to gather missing evidence, including surveillance footage captured on the day of the incident.

Soyaya said Mahlangu has not yet been able to get the footage.

“We were hoping that by today [Wednesday], based on the three things that they were given, the instruction that was given by the magistrate, for the investigating officer to go and look for, it turns out that some of them are still not there. So, the matter has been postponed for further investigation.”