Family members of slain KwaDukuza municipality official Nokulunga Happiness Mashabane, 31, wept as her husband and a co-accused filed into the KwaDukuza magistrate's court on Friday.
Thobani Nzama, 31, and his co-accused Sipho Mgwaba, 26, initially attempted to shield their faces from cameras as they stood in the dock.
Mashabane was found with gunshot wounds to the head in her vehicle along the Zinkwazi link road on June 27.
Prosecutor Paul Nel said the two were charged with conspiracy to commit murder, murder and defeating the ends of justice.
While the pair appeared in court without any legal representation, Nzama, who is a state paramedic, told the court he would be enlisting private attorney Rakesh Maharaj. Mgwaba was yet to find a lawyer.
Magistrate Vasti Williams ordered that the pair be detained at the KwaDukuza police cells as she adjourned the matter to August 8.
Williams urged Mgwaba to liaise with his family to secure legal representation for the next court appearance.
Speaking to TimesLIVE after the brief appearance, Mashabane's brother Thokozani said the family had last seen Nzama before his sister's funeral but he didn't attend the ceremony.
“We regarded him as a brother and we did not believe he could be linked to ending my sister’s life. We had suspicions about domestic disputes,” said Thokozani.
He said the family was alarmed after learning Nzama had uprooted Mashabane without letting them know in January.
Thokozani said while Nzama paid lobola and had yet to get permission to tie the knot, they learnt the pair had got married.
“We now know that Thobani took my sister and they went off to Eshowe. His father was a witness and my sister had none. We were taken aback,” he said.
KwaDukuza municipal official Thandeka Mkhize, who worked closely with Mashabane, said they were devastated by her death.
She said the murder had ignited a groundswell of support from the community as Mashabane had endeared herself to many people due to her work ethic.
Mkhize said Mashabane, a mother of three, had worked hard to ensure the wellbeing of her family.
“It’s the type of a person Nokulunga was. She was the light,” said Mkhize.
She urged women gathered outside court to break the silence on abuse.
“Please guys in the relationships you have, you should know when someone loves you and when they are obsessed with you. We are all old enough to know that. You know your conscience. If someone abuses you, speak out and don’t hide things,” she said.
The arrests of the two men were welcomed by KwaZulu-Natal premier Thami Ntuli who said the message was clear that there was no hiding place for criminals.
“We are reclaiming our communities and restoring the rule of law,” said Ntuli.
Outside the court political parties and KwaDukuza residents protested against the alleged gender-based violence killing coinciding with the start of Women's Month.
South African Municipal Workers Union secretary in KwaDukuza Nkululeko Dladla said they were opposed to the two suspects getting bail.
“We, as men, should be seen to be at the forefront of fighting gender-based violence. We want to send a message that any form of GBV is unacceptable, whether it is meted out to women or children.”
TimesLIVE
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