A 34-year-old Ethiopian man, accused of raping a seven-year-old girl inside his Diepsloot tuckshop, is expected to appear in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
The case was previously postponed for further investigations.
The man was arrested after he allegedly lured the girl and her 10-year-old brother into his Diepsloot shop with snacks and then gave the boy R5 and told him to cover his face. Then he allegedly raped the girl.
On August 16, the man was denied bail after the mother of the minor broke down in tears while testifying in mitigation of bail, asking for the man to be kept in jail.
Magistrate Abdul Khan said that the tearful mother’s testimony provided detailed information about how the incident occurred.
However, he criticised the State and Prosecutor Sibongile Mncengani for allowing the mother to testify while she was still traumatised by the incident.
“The mother's testimony highlighted the deep trauma the family endured and underscored the ongoing struggle women and girls face with gender-based violence (GBV),” Khan said.
“It's deeply sad and troubling that this occurred during Women's Month, a time meant to honour women, yet women and children continue to be victims of GBV.”
He said that although the mother was not in the best condition to testify, she revealed to the court that the boy has been demonstrating at home how his younger sister was allegedly raped.
Khan said that she also pointed out how the children were traumatised by the incident, with the young girl being teased by her peers because of what happened.
“She further emphasised the community's outrage over the incident and expressed her fear for her children's safety if the man is granted bail.”
Khan also criticised the investigating officer, Joel Ngobeni, for his absence and failure to attend court.
Owing to that, Khan denied the man bail. The man, spent a full four week behind bars after he was denied bail.
In addition, the accused is currently in the country illegally, this after the investigating officer found out that his asylum visa had expired on March 9, 2022.
The accused is under judicial review, and the high court will decide whether he will serve his sentence here or be deported, if found guilty.
IOL