“My eyes have run out of tears; I do not even want to cry about this anymore.”
These are the words of Bridget Harris, the grieving mother of Nathaniel Julies.
Speaking to Sunday World on Thursday, she said even her community has forgotten about the killing of her son four years ago.Â
“The people of Eldorado Park have even forgotten that my son has been killed. People have lost interest. The support has quietened down. Nobody knows what is happening as the case keeps on being postponed,” Harris said.
She did not make it to court proceedings of the day, as the three former police officers accused of the murder of Julies appeared again in the Johannesburg High Court sitting in Palm Ridge.Â
A pastor tries to help me get to court
Harris did not make it to the proceedings as she lacked the means to travel to the Palm Ridge courthouse, located 40km away from her home.Â
She told Sunday World that getting to court is a great expense that she cannot afford.
“I do not work. I want to be in court for the entire trial. There is a pastor who transports me. However, like today, he has other matters to deal with.
“I plead with the state to complete this matter. I miss my son, I relive his death in the courtroom,” Harris said.
She added: “I want to heal, and justice. I want this to end.”
Former Eldorado Park police officers, Constable Caylene Whiteboy, Sergeant Simon Ndyalvane, and Detective-Sergeant Voster Netshiongolo, are accused of killing Julies. He was 16 years old at the time and lived with Down syndrome.
The three, who have since been dismissed from the police, have been the accused in the murder trial since 2020.