Diepsloot residents last week went on the rampage after the dead bodies of two toddlers were killed. (Oupa Nkosi, M&G)
The 29-year-old man implicated in the murder and rape of two Diepsloot toddlers appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on Monday.
The case was postponed to Thursday when he would join four other men implicated in the murder of two-year-old Yonelisa Mali and her three-year-old cousin, Zandile Mali.
One man in court said he was shocked to see that the suspect was a young man.
"Looking at this young boy, I couldn't believe my eyes," said Mzolisi Mbikwana.
Speaking outside the court, National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Medupe Simasiku said the man had confessed to the killings.
"He has confessed [to police to] two charges of murder, rape and kidnapping," said Simasiku.
The man has yet to plead.
Police's identikit
The suspect was arrested in Alexandra on Friday last week after fleeing Diepsloot following the discovery of the girls' bodies in a communal toilet on Tuesday.
The girls had been reported missing several days earlier.
Last week, police offered a R100 000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the man.
Police released an identikit of him on Thursday, putting him between the ages of 30 to 34, of slight build, about 1.7m tall, light in complexion and with a cut on his lower lip.
Speaking outside court on Monday, Women, Children and People with Disabilities Minister Lulu Xingwana said the accused should not get bail.
"They do not deserve bail because our children are not safe," she said.
Xingwana called on the courts to impose the harshest punishment for criminals who targeted children. – Sapa