Cape Town - The family of Emaan Solomons have expressed their disappointment in the criminal justice system.
This after the trial of two alleged gang members, accused of killing the 7-year-old, was again postponed in the Western Cape High Court.
The family staged a demonstration on the steps of the high court on Monday to note their frustration while Eben Basson and Chivargo Fredericks appeared inside.
Azmir Oosthuizen, Emaan’s father said, “Our expectation for today was that the trial would start. I feel like the justice system is not just failing me but it failed my daughter also, it’s taking too long, the process is way too long.”
Little Emaan was tragically killed in a gang shooting on February 25, 2020, in front of her home after innocently playing with her friends on Libra Way in Ocean View.
According to the State, “the deceased was shot in her back with a projectile exiting through her chest”. The State alleges that Basson and Fredericks had been operating as members of the “Junky Funky Kids”, embroiled in a gang war at the time and shot Emaan when they opened fire in the direction of Libra Way, targeting a rival gang member.
Oosthuizen said he could understand why the process was taking so long. “I can understand that they wouldn’t want lawyers defending those guys to find any loopholes … so that they can come out… and walk around in our community because who is to say they can’t do it again?”
He said it’s been very difficult for them as a family to find closure and requested that the wider community pray for them to get justice.
“All I want from the community is to pray for my family. We just want prayers that’s all, nothing else. We don’t want money or anything, we just want the people to pray for us, so we can get justice for Emaan,” Oosthuizen said.
Basson and Fredericks will return to court on October 3 for their trial to commence.