Chantelle Ash was tied up and both she and 8-month-old baby Tasneem were strangled. Picture: Supplied
Pretoria - The mother of Chantelle Ash has expressed relief after the accused in the grisly death of her daughter and 8-month-old grandchild Tasneem was denied bail last week.
The matter was postponed to March 15 at the Mokerong Magistrate’s Court in Mokopane.
The decomposing bodies of Chantelle and daughter were found inside a lodge room in Limpopo on January 14, with Chantelle’s hands bound behind her back and her body swollen and almost unrecognisable.
“I could not recognise my baby… she was so swollen and bruised. It was a horrible thing to see,” said the mother.
According to her, Chantelle and her daughter arrived at the lodge in Mokopane at about 7pm on January 12 with her husband, a Bangladeshi national, and the father of the baby.
“The accommodation had been booked for a night only, with the check-out time the next day. When cleaners opened the room on January 14, they found the bodies of Chantelle and Tasneem,” said the mother.
A countrywide manhunt was launched for the alleged perpetrator of the murders, who was nabbed in Joburg.
“Much has been said by members of government and organisations about gender-based violence and the murder of women by their partners; talk is talk, it is time for the government to send a clear message that this will not be tolerated,” the grieving mother said.
She said it was time for the National Prosecuting Authority to be brave, fearless and consistent in dealing with the perpetrators of these crimes.
She also called for more people to sign the petition opposing the accused’s bail application.
The petition, with close to 9 000 signatures, had already been submitted to a State prosecutor.
liam.ngobeni@inl.co.za
Pretoria News
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