Andrew Jordaan, the man accused of murdering seven-year-old Sheldean Human, appeared briefly in the Pretoria Regional Court on Wednesday, where his case was transferred to the Pretoria High Court for trial.
His trial at the high court will start on August 2.
Along with the murder charge, Jordaan now faces charges of kidnapping, rape and possession of dagga.
A clean-shaven Jordaan wore a black windbreaker with the usual black-and-white shirt he wears when he appears in court. His feet were in leg irons as he made his way to the holding cells.
Jordaan is being held at Pretoria Central Prison.
People once again showed their support for the Human family by wearing pink shirts and filling up the courtroom where Jordaan appeared.
Superintendent Piet Byleveld, who cracked the Sheldean case, attended proceedings and said there was enough information to take the case to trial.
Sheldean’s mother, Elize Human, wore a bright pink shirt with her daughter’s face on it, and expressed gratitude for the support received. Sheldean’s father and other relatives were also in court.
”I haven’t got words. At the moment it’s a lot of gratitude for all the support we received,” Elize Human said.
Meanwhile, outside the courtroom, trade union Solidarity’s Helping Hand Fund displayed about 1 300 teddy bears, roughly one for each child murdered annually in South Africa.
The deputy secretary general of Solidarity, Dirk Hermann, said the teddy bears would be distributed through police stations to victims of crime.
”We will now focus this initiative to other high-profile cases involving murdered children,” he said.
Sheldean’s body was found in a culvert in Pretoria West on March 6 after she had been missing for two weeks from her Pretoria Gardens home.
Jordaan pointed out the culvert to police. — Sapa