“Nathanial Julies’ blood speaks from the ground” – that is according to one of the leaders of the protest action outside the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court on Friday morning. Inside the court, Lieutenant-Colonel James Chauke sought to clarify the procedure to be followed in handling a crime scene following accusations that police tried to cover up 16-year-old down-syndrome Nathaniel Julies’ murder at the hands of police.
“The reason it still came out … the reason they couldn’t cover it up is because onse kind se bloed (our child’s blood) is like the blood of Abel. It speaks from the ground. And it is still speaking and calling for justice,” says one of the protest action leaders.
“#NathanielJulies‘ blood speaks from the ground,” says one of the protest action leaders outside the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court where Julies’ murder trial is under way. #SABCNews pic.twitter.com/ZlxNmUYFXq
— Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) October 15, 2021
Julies was shot dead by members of the South African Police Service outside his home in Eldorado Park by police on 26 August 2020. As this sparked outrage in the community, accusations of police brutality, use of outlawed ammunition, and crime cover-up came.
Following Julies’ shooting, police were seen loading him onto the back of the police van and taking him to the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.
Following the incident, Gauteng Premier Makhura said the teenager had been shot when he was caught in a crossfire between the police and gang members.
“The boy who was disabled was allegedly caught in the crossfire between a gang and the SA Police Service on Wednesday,” said Makhura at the time.
Protestors outside the court say this was prejudicial by the premier because Julies was a member of the Coloured communication and have called on him to apologise for the comments.
“Before the premier had the right information, he went to the media and he said ‘condolences to the family of Nathaniel Julies’ and he said Nathaniel Julies’ death was gang-related. They put a label of a gangster on our child. And then when the story later came out that it was not gang-related … because if Nathaniel was not a down-syndrome child the label of a gangster would have stuck. Many of our community members are in prison, not because they committed a crime, but because they look like the crime,” says one of the protest leaders.”
They have called on the premier to withdraw the comments and apologise.
“The (gangster) label didn’t stick but guess what? Because they think nothing of our child, they think nothing of our people till today the premier has not apologised. Till today the premier has not corrected the story. Why? Because Nathaniel means nothing to this country. But he brought all of us together. Nathaniel Julies brought us together.”
The protestors have also accused the media of not giving the trial enough coverage which took place earlier on Friday at the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court.
Inside the court, Simon ‘Scorpion’ Nyalvane, Caylene Whiteboy, and Vorster Netshiongolo, who have all pleaded not guilty, listened attentively as Chauke was being cross-examined and told the court that it was questionable conduct that police would have loaded the deceased on the back of the van after the shooting.
Whiteboy is accused of having pulled the trigger on the instruction of Nyalvane while Netshiongolo has been accused of planting live ammunition on the scene of the crime as part of the cover-up.
The court previously heard through State witness Constable Mandla Sithole how Nyalvane was a trigger-happy police officer and how he and Whiteboy were known to use excessive force when dealing with members of the community.
The matter has been adjourned and will continue on Monday.
Nathaniel Julies murder trial: 15 October 2021
