Johannesburg – Eight years have passed since the brutal murder of Soweto friends Popi Qwabe and Bongeka Phungula.
The double murder of the young women made headlines in 2017, when their bodies were found with gunshot wounds dumped near Johannesburg.
Speaking exclusively to The Bulrushes on Friday, (9 May 2025), Thembelihle Qwabe, the elder sister of the late Popi, said: “I wish this case could rest, but I can’t because in the same breath I want justice, we want answers”.
“No matter how long it takes, we will not back down.
“As long as there are still organisations such as Amnesty International standing with us, then we will stand firm till something is done about this crime.”
Meanwhile, as part of moves to press for justice, Amnesty International South Africa has announced that it will hold a picket outside the Protea Magistrate’s Court in Soweto on Monday, (12 May 2025), to demand justice for Popi and Bongeka.
Since their murders, the families have received little to no communication on the status of the case, leaving them in the dark with no hope of justice being served.
In 2023, National Director of Public Prosecutions Shamila Batohi wrote to Amnesty International South Africa informing us that their case had been referred to the Protea Magistrate’s Court for an inquest.
Since then, there has been no indication of when the inquest will start despite our regular follow-ups.
On 12 May 2017, Popi and Bongeka were shot dead and their bodies dumped by the side of the road in Johannesburg.
They may also have been raped before they were killed.
Full forensic evidence reports have never been released, and the police investigation that followed was, according to the family, riddled with mistakes.
The families claim the police did not check for fingerprints and that the phones belonging to the two girls were never traced.
Two suspects who had been apprehended in connection with their deaths were later released, and the case was struck off the roll.
In 2020, Amnesty International highlighted Popi and Bongeka’s case during its annual Write for Rights campaign, and the investigation into their murders was reopened, bringing their families one step closer to justice.
More than 341 000 Amnesty supporters signed the petition to demand this.
The matter was sent back to the NPA in 2021 for a decision on prosecution and then referred to an inquest.
“Popi and Bongeka’s case is emblematic of a failing criminal justice system, including a cycle of impunity that sees little to no justice for victims and survivors of gender-based violence and femicide,” Amnesty said.
“‘The justice system needs to start acting as a deterrent by ensuring that perpetrators are charged in accordance with the law.”
