Byline: Nonjabuliso Nhlambo
26 March 2026
Azania community members led a picket outside the Evander Magistrates’ court, demanding no bail for the stepmother who allegedly murdered her stepson.
Zulfa Dauquela (35), a Mozambican national, appeared before the court on Wednesday, 25 March 2026, for her formal bail application.
She is facing a Murder charge for her stepson, 10-year-old Nhlakanipho Hlungwani, and another charge of being in the country illegally.
The sister of the accused took the witness stand, where she told the court that her sister is mentally unwell.
The father of the deceased was also called to the witness stand, corresponding to the accused sister’s statement that she is mentally unstable.
According to the father of the deceased, the accused suffers from hallucinations.
That she would sometimes disappear for five days, and when she came back, she would say she slept by the river, praying.
He further told the court that she would burn things in the house.
The court was then certified that there is a possibility that the accused might be mentally unstable; therefore, her matter was postponed for her to be evaluated by doctors.
She is remanded in custody until 23 April 2026.
