A man accused of beating the mother of his four-month-old child to death will spend Christmas behind bars.

The bail application of Andrew Makeleni, who appeared in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on Monday, was postponed to January 8.

The State has indicated they would oppose his release.

The decision was met with applause by Imizamo Yethu residents who filled the public gallery.

“He must stay there where he belongs,” one woman commented while others danced outside the courtroom.

Babalwa Ntlapo’s body was found in her boyfriend’s shack on November 29.

Her grandmother Nomathemba Sotomela, a well-known community worker, said her 20-year-old granddaughter died a horrific death.

“The side of her head was beaten in with a hammer,” she said.

“When I saw how she looked while the body was prepared for the funeral, I was traumatised. The way she died was horrible.”

Her uncle had stumbled upon the crime scene.

“People had been lining the street outside Andrew’s shack. He said she had collapsed, but inside he found her lying in only her tights and a bra. They said she was dead already.”

Outside the court, Ntlapo’s mother Queenie was too upset to speak.

The couple’s baby is now living with Sotomela.

“She is such a lovely, friendly child,” she said fondly. “It doesn’t realise the terrible thing that has happened.”

Hout Bay Civic Association secretary Roscoe Jacobs, who also attended proceedings, pointed out that the incident was considered especially heinous as it took place during the 16 Days of Activism campaign. News24