On Tuesday, sex workers and South African women’s rights organizations protested outside a Johannesburg court as a 21-year-old man was in court in connection with the discovery of six decomposing bodies believed to be those of sex workers.
The man showed up in the dock with a black cloth covering his face to conceal his identity.
He was detained last week after police, who were looking into the disappearance of a single sex worker who was supposedly last seen with the suspect, found the dead at a car repair shop in downtown Johannesburg.
The dead were apparently located inside the structure for a considerable amount of time because some of them were discovered with their hands tied, according to the police.The man is anticipated to participate in a Friday identity lineup. According to prosecutors, a police officer assigned to perform a preliminary lineup was unavailable, therefore it was abandoned.
When the man entered the courtroom, a group of sex workers present at the hearing yelled at him and demanded that the cloth covering his face be taken off. As they are anticipated to be witnesses in the case, some of them concealed their own identities.
Speaking on behalf of the National Prosecuting Authority, Phindi Mjonondwane stated that because DNA testing were still being carried out, the families of the victims had not yet been notified.
She stated, “At this time, none of the deceased victims have been positively identified; that process is still ongoing.
The liberalization of sex work and the protection of sex workers were among the demands on the placards that the protesters waved.
Areas where sex workers operate ought to be made safer, according to Nozipho Dlamini of the Sisterhood Foundation, a group that deals with women’s issues.
The streets and the homes where they reside need to be preserved, no matter where they are, according to Dlamini’s community’s preference.
On October 25, the suspect is anticipated to return to court.