Case against alleged Gauteng family murderer postponed

Eugene Botha, the East Rand man accused of murdering his father, mother and sister on the last day of 2023, appeared in the Germiston magistrate's court on Thursday.

After a brief appearance Botha's bail application was withdrawn and the case was postponed to next week.

The bodies of Johan, Soné and Rikki Botha were found on the back of a bakkie on New Year's Day in Elsburg near Germiston. Botha was arrested shortly afterwards.

On Thursday, an application brought by media houses seeking to photograph and film Botha in court was stood down until his next appearance.

Friends of the slain Botha family who attended court declined to comment.

The Sunday Times visited Rondebult, the neighbourhood in Elsburg where the family lived.

The quiet neighbourhood was still reeling in shock at the triple murder. One resident heard a raging altercation in the run-up to New Year's Eve.

“It was somewhere between 4.30pm and 5pm when the screaming started. It was either the mother or the daughter but I can’t say for sure which one. What I can say is she was very angry,” said one resident.

“For most of the rest of the night things were quiet, but late in the evening, just before the fireworks and crackers started, we heard what seemed to be three gunshots.”

Note: This article has been updated to correct an earlier version.

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