Hammanskraal residents demand justice for Kgaogelo Marota

August 25, 2025 80

Residents of Hammanskraal have threatened to take the law into their own hands should murder accused Lazarus Anthonio be granted bail.

The 26-year-old Portuguese national was arrested last week for allegedly stabbing his 20-year-old ex-girlfriend, Kgaogelo Marota, multiple times. Her body was discovered outside a tavern in Maubane Village near Hammanskraal.

Following the attack, Anthonio reportedly went to his residence where he attempted to kill his current girlfriend, before posting a video on social media confessing to the crime.

A close friend and neighbour of Marota told YNews that she didn’t deserve such a brutal death, revealing that Marota had previously taken out a protection order against Anthonio. She warned that the community would not accept his release.

“For the sake of everyone’s safety, he should not come back. If they release him, we’ll be living in fear. He is not good for the community at all — and we’re ready to burn down his house to show our anger,” she said.

“It’s as if it’s now a trend in South Africa for men to kill women and still get bail. We don’t understand how that happens. We’re pleading with the police to keep him in jail for good.”

She remembered Marota as someone who was full of life and respectful toward others.

Meanwhile, the Maubane Village community is demanding that Ngwenya be denied bail.

Gender Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) brigades in Hammanskraal were up in arms, calling for Anthonio to remain behind bars.

Speaking to YNews, one member, Theresa Peluza, said it is disheartening that despite regular GBVF awareness campaigns hosted in the area, violent incidents continue to surge.

Meanwhile, Marota’s father, Thabiso Seema, has urged fathers to be more involved in their children’s lives. He took to social media following his daughter’s murder, expressing his grief and regret.

Speaking to YNews, Seema says he is battling to come to terms with her death.