Law student killer denied bail

Mamelodi Magistrate court has denied bail murder accused Tiyane Mashaba (37) for allegedly killing law student Mmanoko Tauyatswala (26).

The accused appeared briefly at the Mamelodi Magistrate court on 28 December.

The accused allegedly killed his ex-girlfriend a 2nd year law student at Unisa.

The murder accused is facing murder charges that took place in June at his residential home in Khutsong Mamelodi East.

The accused was arrested following the incident where his ex-girlfriend was found in his bedroom naked with multiple stab wounds on her upper body on 3 June 2023.

His case has reminded to 26 January 2024 for postmortem and for further investigation.

Family members and ANCWL and community at large came to support the family who are seeking justice and answers.
Aunt Dimakatso Ntjane told the Tshwane Talks that the family is so super happy that the accused did not get bail and will spend New Year behind bars.

The accused has made many attempts to be granted bail but always failed.

The accused is always making excuses. He once told court he is crazy and was taken to Weskoppies Psychiatric hospital for evaluation.

The report came back and found that he is fit to stand trial.

“We as the family we are happy that the accused did not get bail for killing our beloved daughter and he must rot in jail.

We are in the dark and we still demand answers as a family.

The accused family knows more, and they are hiding many things, but we pray and hope the court reveals everything,” Aunt Dimakatso Ntjane said.

She said on the 2nd of June 2023 the late Mmanoko spend the whole day with her brother at their apartment in Troyville in Johannesburg and at night they part ways and they went to sleep.

The following day family received a called from the Mamelodi police that Mmanoko is no more, and they must come to Mamelodi to identify the body.

The aunt went to the crime scene and found already forensic was taking her body away and she identify her, and she found out that she had no clothes she was naked with stabbed wound in her upper body.

“We still don’t know how Mmanoko got out of the house and end up in Mamelodi dead, the family of the accused is telling us nonsense and we demand answers,” she said.

Ntjane said we don’t know the real story. Mmanoko had already broken up with the guy and concentrating on her studies.

She even opened cases of assaults at Sunnyside police station against the accused, but the accused was never arrested and also had protection order against him.

The family suspects that the accused came and took Mmanoko on 2 June 2023 at night by force.

He drove with her all the way from Johannesburg to Mamelodi. She was wearing her pyjama when the suspects took her.

We demanded the clothes, and the accused family gave us the clothes on the 4 June.

The pyjam were wet and bloody. The family wanted to clean the evidence but couldn’t do it and we want someone to be hold accountable for that.

“The accused must stand up and face the crime he commits and stop with the excuses.

We want the court to speed up the process because every time we come to court and see the accused as a family our hearts bleeds out.

We are hurt and we are in pain that our beloved daughter is not coming back to finish her law degree,’’ she said.

She said the family appreciates and thanked the support they are getting from the public and different organization.