More families have come forward accusing a Mitchells Plain magistrate of allegedly favouring criminals of serious offences.
Families, whose cases were heard in front of Mitchells Plain regional court Magistrate Mary Jwacu, have been protesting outside the court every day, saying they want her to be removed.
This comes after Magistrate Jwacu delivered a not guilty verdict in the murder trial of Chad Basson, who was shot and killed in Lentegeur in 2018 as he tried to protect party-goers from gunmen.
According to Magistrate Jwacu, there was a lack of evidence and the witnesses did not give credible testimonies.
She also called the investigating officer incompetent.
Chad’s mother Dawn said Magistrate Jwacu destroyed their lives.
“From the time we heard the case was going to her court, we feared this would happen. She has a reputation for letting cases slide.
“For two years I sat in the court listening to how my son was killed and every time they spoke about a bullet hitting him. I swear I could feel it and to finally leave the court after six years with a not guilty verdict?”
Since then, other families who experienced the same outcome have joined the call for the removal of Magistrate Jwacu.
In a similar matter, Shakoor Roberts who was accused of killing his mother Gafsa and dumping her body in a wheelie bin in 2015, was found not guilty in 2021 due to a lack of evidence.
Shakoor’s aunt Jamia Daniels, who attended court proceedings, said she still struggles to deal with the verdict and the fact that her nephew is walking around freely after she had recorded him admitting to the crime.
“[Magistrate] Jwacu uses the same reasons for her verdicts, as if she doesn’t want justice. If she wanted justice, she would have guided the State [prosecutors], but instead she allowed cases to drag on for years until the accused is found not guilty or the accused is discharged.”
Felicity George, whose son Benedict Courie was beaten to death with a baseball bat, also joined the group.
She still has sleepless nights after Magistrate Jwacu changed the murder charge to one of culpable homicide.
“It was no accident, they meant to kill my son. That is why I make sure with every case that appears in her court she sees my face, I want her to know that I haven’t forgotten.”
Daily Voice reached out to Magistrate Jwacu for comment but she hadn’t replied at the time of publish.
Previously, she said she was aware of the calls for her to step down, but insisted that the public has legal recourse if they are unhappy with verdicts.
“There is a high court that can appeal the ruling. If these people are getting the right guidance they would know [that] their prosecutor can appeal,” she explained.