The family of Bonita Plaatjies, a 29-year-old mother of three affectionately known as “Bonnie” or “Bon Bon”, say they are determined to see justice after she was allegedly beaten to death by her boyfriend in Wallacedene, Kraaifontein.
Plaatjies’ lifeless body was found last Friday at the home of her boyfriend’s family in Ndleleni Street, Wallacedene, following what relatives describe as an alleged altercation. Her boyfriend, Marshall Fortuin, appeared in the Blue Downs Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 20 July, on a charge of murder. The matter was postponed to Monday, 27 July, for a formal bail application.
As the case moves through court, Plaatjies’ cousins say the killing was not a sudden, unforeseeable tragedy, but the fatal end of what they describe as a long pattern of abuse. They say they repeatedly warned her to stay away from Fortuin, and they now want the court to refuse him bail.
According to Plaatjies’ relatives, Fortuin is the father of her youngest child, who is six years old. Her children, the family says, are now living with relatives, and the circumstances of her death have left those closest to her both grieving and angry.
Cousins Christine, Maxine and Josephine Plaatjies told the Daily Voice that Fortuin had allegedly been abusive to Bonita throughout the relationship. They said they attended court on Monday and heard details that, in their view, confirm the violence did not begin on the night she died.
They told the Daily Voice: “We attended the court case where we learned that he fought with Bonita.
“When his mother intervened, he told his own mother “jou ma se **”, jy sê nie vir my nie”.
“He continued hitting Bonita. The next morning he went to his mother and told her that Bonita was not moving.
“They lived in a hokkie at the back of his mother’s house. When his mother checked, that is when they found out Bonita was dead.
“We knew she was in an abusive relationship and as a family we always spoke to her, warning her to stay away from him.
“The last few times, her face was so ugly from the way he would beat her up. She was in a toxic relationship.”
The cousins’ account suggests the fatal incident happened at a property where Fortuin’s family lives, and that Plaatjies and Fortuin were staying in a separate structure — a “hokkie” — at the back of the house. They say Fortuin’s mother attempted to intervene during the alleged altercation, and that the following morning Fortuin told her Plaatjies was not moving.
The family believes Plaatjies’ death followed repeated cycles of separation and reconciliation. They say the couple had broken up previously, but resumed seeing each other in February after Plaatjies’ mother died. Relatives say that not long after the relationship resumed, the alleged abuse began again.
For the family, the pain is compounded by the way they learnt of Plaatjies’ death. They say they were not notified directly despite living nearby, and that they only became aware of what had happened when a family member went looking for her.
The angry relatives said: “Nobody came to tell us that Bonita had died and we live close by.
“Her children live with us, so when my sister went to look for Bonita in the morning to ask for the children’s Sassa cards, she saw the police and ambulance. Bonita was already dead.
“We are very hartseer about her passing. Everyone loved her. Bonita was ‘n mens se mens. She loved talking, laughing and making jokes.
“We don’t want him to get bail; we want justice. As a family, we have been going through so much loss.”
Their description of Plaatjies as “’n mens se mens” — someone people gravitate toward — is how they want her remembered: not as a statistic or a court case, but as a mother, a cousin, and a woman with a warm personality who loved laughter and conversation.
The family’s insistence that Fortuin should not be granted bail signals what is likely to be a key point when the matter returns to court on 27 July. While the state and defence will present arguments about whether Fortuin should remain in custody pending trial, the family is already positioning itself to oppose his release, fearful of what it might mean for justice, for the children, and for their own sense of safety.
Their concerns also reflect a broader reality faced by families who lose loved ones in domestic violence cases: many say they warned victims repeatedly, but cycles of emotional dependence, shared children, financial strain and grief can pull people back into dangerous relationships. In Plaatjies’ case, the family says her mother’s death was a turning point that preceded reconciliation — and, they allege, the return of violence.
The killing has unfolded amid continued national concern about gender-based violence, where families often complain that abuse escalates despite warnings, and where the aftermath involves a long, painful journey through the criminal justice system.
For now, what is formally before the court is a murder charge against Fortuin, and a pending bail application. What sits alongside the legal process is the family’s demand for accountability — and their determination that Bonita Plaatjies’ death should not pass quietly.
As they prepare for the next court date, her cousins say they want their grief heard and their warnings taken seriously, not only for Plaatjies but for her children and for other women they believe may be trapped in violent relationships.
