Scores of activists, political party members and members of the community in Mamelodi township have expressed outrage over the brutal killing of two young women, Baleseng Moramaga, 22, and her cousin Tshiamo Moramaga, 21, in Extension 17 on Sunday.

They demonstrated outside Mamelodi Magistrate’s Court, where the accused, 38‑year‑old Tebogo Mnisi, appeared on Wednesday on five charges – two counts of premeditated murder, attempted murder and possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition. 

He allegedly shot dead the two women and wounded a local man Desmond Senong, 26 in the early hours of Sunday morning after a night out partying at a local spot in Mamelodi East.

Lumka Mahanjana, regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, said the accused abandoned his bail application, but the state would oppose bail should he decide to apply for it. 

The case was postponed to January 19, 2026 for further investigation. 

Mahanjana said: “It is still in its very early stages. There are still a lot of investigations that are still to be investigated before the case becomes trial ready.”

Outside the courtroom, activists from various groups vented anger over the murder, demanding the accused be denied bail and calling for justice for the deceased.

Moses Masweu, deputy chair of the Soil of Africa civic organisation said the untimely death of the two women shocked the community, adding that the killing of women has been plaguing Mamelodi for too long.

“We are hoping that this is the last time we find ourselves in this position. What we are saying is that justice must prevail,” he said.

Eddy Mnguni, a local community policing forum (CPF) leader, echoed the sentiment that the killings of women in the township “have now become a habit”.

He said the CPF has called on all political formations and civic organisations to come up with a programme that will fight against the scourge of violence against women and children and address the issue of illegal firearms.

“In Mamelodi and Eersterust we have a lot of unlicensed firearms,” he said.

Moleke Maserame, EFF local sub-regional organiser, said: “This thing of killings in Mamelodi has become the order of the day whereby people just kill each other, especially young girls who are not safe in our community.”

He expressed hope that the law-enforcement will intensify visible policing to prevent violent crimes.

“Young girls should not be scared to go out for fun. When you are 21 or 22 you want to go out everywhere to enjoy yourself, ” he said.

He said the community in general felt unsafe in Mamelodi because of the high crime rate.

“Even those of us who think we can defend ourselves are not safe and we are not walking free. I think national intervention is needed in Mamelodi,” he said.

ActionSA regional women forum chairperson Emma Tau said: “We are now scared and that is why we decided to stand up and say enough is enough because if we keep quiet, the situation might get out of control.”

NotInMyName International secretary-general Themba Masango said this tragedy is a stark and painful reminder of the epidemic of gender-based violence (GBV) that continues to plague the nation. 

“The murder of Tshiamo and Baleseng is not an isolated incident. It is a direct manifestation of South Africa’s endemic GBV crisis, which reflects a systemic failure to protect women and decisively combat femicide. We reiterate our call for the government to treat GBV as the national emergency it is, with commensurate resources, political will, and judicial consequences,” he said.

George Matjila, ANC regional secretary, expressed disappointment about the rising level of femicide. 

“Within a period of two months about eight young women have been killed in Tshwane. We are becoming a problem. We are becoming a capital of killings. Just last week a woman in Bronkhorstspruit, a young woman of 21 left behind a seven-month old baby after being killed at a tavern. We are happy that the perpetrators are being arrested within a short space of time,” he said.

rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za

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