Sunday Star Times
February 4 2007
No plea, no emotion, from uncle of murdered girl
by Deidre Mussen
The uncle of dead Zimbabwean girl
Charlene Makaza was unemotional when he appeared in court yesterday charged
with her murder and sexual violation.
George Evans Gwaze, 54, was denied
name suppression at Christchurch District Court and did not plead to the charge
of murdering Charlene, 10, between January 5 and 7 and two charges of sexually
violating her on or about January 6. He was remanded in custody to reappear in
court on Wednesday.
A group of relatives were in court
yesterday for his appearance, including his wife, Sifiso
Gwaze, several of their children, and extended family. Gwaze, a short stocky
man, glanced in their direction when he was brought into the dock but showed no
emotion throughout the brief hearing.
The family declined to speak after
his appearance.
Charlene and her sister lived with
the Gwazes and their two cousins, Nothando,
20, and her 24-year-old brother, George, in their rented two- storey
weatherboard home in suburban Christchurch. They were all home when Charlene's
aunt found her in bed struggling to breathe on January 6. She was rushed to
medical help but died in Christchurch Hospital the next morning. Police
launched a homicide inquiry after an initial post-mortem showed she had been
suffocated. It was later revealed she suffered serious injuries from a vicious
sexual assault around the time of her death.
At her funeral two weeks ago,
relatives said Charlene's parents died in Zimbabwe when she was very young and she
and her sister had been raised by the Gwazes since
she was seven months old. The sisters came to New Zealand more than a year ago
to live with their aunt and uncle in Christchurch. Charmaine
was taken into Child, Youth and Family care after her sister's death.