More charges added against woman accused of ploughing car into girls at coming-of-age ceremony

The case against the woman accused of ploughing her car into a group of girls at a coming-of-age ceremony in Germiston in June has been postponed to next year.

Sixty-eight-year-old Martha van der Walt appeared in the Germiston Magistrates Court on Thursday, where three additional charges, including murder, were added to her charge sheet.

The matter has been postponed to allow the director of public prosecutions (DPP) to decide on the appropriate forum for the matter to proceed.

Bail has once again been extended for the now murder-accused 68-year-old Martha van der Walt.

She now faces charges of attempted murder, murder, and failure to stop after driving through a group of people, on top of the initial charge of culpable homicide.

During proceedings, her lawyer argued that the three added charges should not stand, as they ought to have been filed with the initial charges.

However, the prosecution argued that they were still gathering crucial outstanding evidence, including video footage of the incident, which supports the additional charges.

Van der Walt will return to the Germiston Magistrates Court on 20 January 2026.

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