Seeing the man accused of her daughter’s murder standing in the dock was too much for Monica Dibaza to process, and as she left the courtroom her shaky legs gave way and she fainted in the corridor.
Friends and family rushed to her side, shaking her shoulders while fanning her with hats and placards to wake her.
Once she was able to sit upright, they gave her some water.
She left the court with loved ones surrounding her, too distraught to give comment to the media who attended court proceedings.
Meanwhile, members of the EFF and ANC Women’s League gathered outside the Gqeberha magistrate’s court, calling for Baxolise Vuso to be denied bail.
Vuso, 25, was arrested after allegedly beating his girlfriend, Zanela Dibaza, 21, to death at his house in Qunu informal settlement in Booysens Park.
Dibaza had left her family home in Greenfields on the morning of January 1 to buy snacks for a family trip to the beach.
When she failed to return, her sister went to Vuso’s home, where she found Dibaza, badly beaten and unconscious on the floor.
She had suffered severe head trauma and was rushed to hospital, but was declared dead on arrival.
Vuso handed himself over to the police that night and made his first court appearance last week.
He returned to court on Friday, dressed in a black T-shirt.
He cut a lonely figure in the dock as the public gallery filled with community members supporting Dibaza's mother.
His matter was then postponed for the state to confirm if he had any previous convictions or pending criminal cases.
He is scheduled to return to court on January 16 for a formal bail application.
As he left the dock to return to the court’s holding cells, he glanced at the crowd in court, but showed little emotion as he turned and walk away.
Speaking outside court, EFF central command team member Yolanda Luzipo said they had been in contact with Dibaza’s mother since news of the incident broke, and they were at court to show their support to the family.
“We are also here to raise awareness about the incident and to ensure that the [alleged] perpetrator is not released on bail.
“Gender-based violence (GBV) is too prevalent in our communities, and the justice system is failing our women,” Luzipo said.
She said many cases of GBV went unrecorded because women were too scared to report such matters to the police.
“They are reluctant because the police [allegedly] don’t believe them.
“They just survived the trauma of GBV, and when they go to the police they have to jump through hoops to report a case.
“Therefore, many women just don’t report their abuse.
“We hope this matter is successful and we see the perpetrator brought to justice.
“Hopefully, it will give women the confidence to stand up for themselves and report such cases.”
Luzipo said they were working closely with the community to investigate allegations that the accused had a history of violence, but at this stage they were not aware of any other cases against him.
Regional secretary for the ANC Women’s League in Nelson Mandela Bay, Nontombi Nama, branded Vuso “a scoundrel and an animal” and echoed the EFF’s sentiment that he should not be granted bail.
“The justice system must change when it comes to GBV cases.
“There must be a law that says people accused of GBV cannot be granted bail,” Nama said.
She said the Women’s League would continue to support the grieving family, as well as other victims of GBV, as they believed their presence drew attention and raised awareness to violent crimes against women.
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