Port Elizabeth horse riding enthusiasts came out in support of slain horsewoman Meghan Cremer on Thursday, as protesters gathered outside a Cape Town court opposing bail for three men charged in connection with her murder.
The 60 black-clad protesters‚ many of them women from the Philippi equestrian community in which 30year-old Cremer lived‚ were hoping to hand in a petition with more than 50‚000 names.
A week ago‚ Jeremy Sias‚ 27‚ Charles Daniels‚ 39‚ and Shiraaz Jaftha‚ 34‚ made their first appearance in the Athlone Magistrate’s Court.
The men were remanded hours after Cremer’s body was found at a Philippi sand mine on August 8.
The former Knysna woman‚ who had disappeared five days earlier after her car was seen driving away from Vaderlansche Rietvlei stud farm‚ had a rope around her neck.
One of the protesters at court on Thursday‚ Penny Owens‚ said the attempt to keep the suspects behind bars “isn’t about a white woman‚ it’s standing up for everyone”.
“We‚ as women‚ have had enough. Why should we be locked up in our own homes?
“We want all three to be denied bail and we want stiff sentences,” she said.
The crowd in court included Linda Mohr‚ owner of Vaderlansche Rietvlei.
She and her family wanted to see Sias‚ who grew up alongside Mohr’s sons on the horse farm in Philippi.
The family said Sias was always trustworthy and kind.
In the Athlone Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, prosecutor Envar Hartnick said Jaftha had another case of murder pending against him.
Jaftha appeared in the dock alongside Sias and Daniels.
Hartnick said Sias had a pending car theft case and a prior assault conviction‚ while Daniels had a pending theft case and a previous drug conviction.
Sias and Daniels abandoned their bail applications and Jaftha’s application was postponed to September 11.
Hartnick said all the men had been charged with murder, but the director of public prosecutions would decide which charges they would be tried on once the police investigation was complete.
Meanwhile, in Port Elizabeth, as thousands of women across the province wore black, a Hankey rape survivor mom dedicated her birthday on Thursday to Cremer.
She said: “Enough is Enough! Wearing black, the community pay tribute to Meghan and especially all women affected by violence.
“Today is my birthday, my second celebration of living since our attack ... I prayed and hoped you would live through this nightmare, and survive like we did.
“My heart is broken for you and your family ... I’m so sorry for what they did to you!”
Women support murdered horse rider Meghan Cremer
Image: Eugene Coetzee
Port Elizabeth horse riding enthusiasts came out in support of slain horsewoman Meghan Cremer on Thursday, as protesters gathered outside a Cape Town court opposing bail for three men charged in connection with her murder.
The 60 black-clad protesters‚ many of them women from the Philippi equestrian community in which 30year-old Cremer lived‚ were hoping to hand in a petition with more than 50‚000 names.
A week ago‚ Jeremy Sias‚ 27‚ Charles Daniels‚ 39‚ and Shiraaz Jaftha‚ 34‚ made their first appearance in the Athlone Magistrate’s Court.
The men were remanded hours after Cremer’s body was found at a Philippi sand mine on August 8.
The former Knysna woman‚ who had disappeared five days earlier after her car was seen driving away from Vaderlansche Rietvlei stud farm‚ had a rope around her neck.
One of the protesters at court on Thursday‚ Penny Owens‚ said the attempt to keep the suspects behind bars “isn’t about a white woman‚ it’s standing up for everyone”.
“We‚ as women‚ have had enough. Why should we be locked up in our own homes?
“We want all three to be denied bail and we want stiff sentences,” she said.
The crowd in court included Linda Mohr‚ owner of Vaderlansche Rietvlei.
She and her family wanted to see Sias‚ who grew up alongside Mohr’s sons on the horse farm in Philippi.
The family said Sias was always trustworthy and kind.
In the Athlone Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, prosecutor Envar Hartnick said Jaftha had another case of murder pending against him.
Jaftha appeared in the dock alongside Sias and Daniels.
Hartnick said Sias had a pending car theft case and a prior assault conviction‚ while Daniels had a pending theft case and a previous drug conviction.
Sias and Daniels abandoned their bail applications and Jaftha’s application was postponed to September 11.
Hartnick said all the men had been charged with murder, but the director of public prosecutions would decide which charges they would be tried on once the police investigation was complete.
Meanwhile, in Port Elizabeth, as thousands of women across the province wore black, a Hankey rape survivor mom dedicated her birthday on Thursday to Cremer.
She said: “Enough is Enough! Wearing black, the community pay tribute to Meghan and especially all women affected by violence.
“Today is my birthday, my second celebration of living since our attack ... I prayed and hoped you would live through this nightmare, and survive like we did.
“My heart is broken for you and your family ... I’m so sorry for what they did to you!”
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