Mark Harvey, the man who allegedly doused two women with petrol and set them alight, appeared before the Roodepoort magistrate’s court on Wednesday.
Failed to appear in court
This comes after Harvey failed to appear before the court on two occasions. He was admitted to hospital under police guard for burns on his left arm and parts of his body.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane, Harvey intends to plead guilty on two charges of murder.
The court postponed the matter to April 17 for his lawyer to consult with him on his intent to plead.
Attacked in an apartment
Marishka Davids and her friend Zakkihya Rayman were allegedly attacked by Harvey at an apartment in Florida, west of Johannesburg, on February 11.
Rayman passed away on February 19, from her injuries. In accordance with Muslim custom, she was buried on the same day before dusk.
Davids spent 16 days in ICU at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital. She celebrated her 31st birthday on Saturday while still in ICU.
Transferred to Bara hospital burn unit
Davids was transferred to the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital burn unit in Soweto. She passed away at the hospital on the evening of Tuesday, February 27.
In accordance with the Christian custom, Davids was laid to rest at the weekend.
Anti-drug activist Dereleen James, alongside Elmari Atterbury, organised a gathering outside court. ActionSA members also gathered in large numbers dressed in the party uniform.
Picketing outside court
The group stood outside court shouting “No to GBV!” and calling on justice for the two women.
“Harvey was treated for minor injuries — this after he inflicted pain on two women aged 38 and 31. Marishka spent her 31st birthday in ICU. The drug dens in Florida are running amok,” James told Sunday World after court proceedings.
Swift justice for the two women
She angrily stated that they demand swift justice for the two women and their families. The courts have a reputation for dragging such cases forever, she said.
Davids’s mother, Mandy Davids, told Sunday World before the court proceedings that she wants Harvey to rot in jail for what he did to her daughter and her friend.
