The 27-year-old Ugandan man who has been charged with murder after assisting a woman in the termination of her five-month pregnancy appeared in the Louis Trichardt Regional Court again on Monday.

Juko Moses was arrested in July 2011 after a 29-year-old woman, who had terminated her pregnancy, put the police on his trail. At that stage he was operating an illegal abortion clinic in one of the back alleys of Makhado (Louis Trichardt).  At first he was charged with the illegal termination of a pregnancy, but in January this year the charge was changed to murder. This after the State indicated that they had enough evidence to proceed with a murder charge.

The woman, who cannot be identified without her informed consent, responded to one of the many illegal abortion advertisements that are plastered all over town. She allegedly paid R1 000 for five Cytotex tablets, which are used to terminate pregnancies. Her baby died as a result of major complications caused by her taking the tablets.

Moses has been in custody since September last year and will remain behind bars until his next court appearance on 18 June, when the case against him is expected to continue.