Khayelitsha couple accused of Lolitha Kowa's murder returns to court

The couple accused of the rape and murder of seven-year-old Lolitha Kowa is expected back in the Khayelitsha Magistrate’s Court on Friday morning.

Odwa Jack and Nokuthula Matyeseni were arrested hours after the young girl’s body was found with a screwdriver lodged in her skull.

Lolitha was last seen on July 22 with Matyeseni’s daughter around 3pm when she returned from school.

She reportedly changed her clothes and told her mother she was going to play at the house, which is a few metres away from her Kuyasa home.

When her mother and community members went to the accused’s home to look for her, they allegedly refused to open the door.

The family said they approached police for help but were told there was no patrol van with a PA system, and they returned home.

The following morning, the family received a photo of Lolitha’s lifeless body.

According to the State, the post-mortem revealed she had fought back against her attackers, sustaining defensive wounds to her hands.

At the time she was found on Nambuzane Street, she had been covered with a pile of clothes, a sock had been stuffed down her throat, and her stomach was bloated.

Last Friday, the prosecutor told the court the couple’s home had been set alight and that they had no place to stay. He argued they were a flight risk and should remain in custody.

The defence stated that the accused had an alternative address, and the matter was postponed for confirmation.

Hundreds of community members and activists gathered outside the court last week, calling on the court to deny bail.

mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za