THE 50-year-old man accused of raping a minor appeared in the Mhala Magistrates Court on Friday, 5 February for a formal bail application.
But the matter was postponed for address on merits of the application.
The man allegedly raped a 10-year-old child down the valley in broad daylight in Welverdiend Village in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, in December.
He was asked to plead guilty for raping the minor.
During court proceedings, his lawyer Advocate Makhosonke Mashego slammed police for allegedly denying the suspect, who had spent Christmas behind bars, access to his medication.
“Police denied my client access to his medication, and as a result he defaulted on treatment. He was never allowed to take it along with him to the police custody,” argued Mashego.
This was following investigating officer Detective Sergeant Izabella Sibuyi opposing bail, saying the accused had raped a vulnerable victim whose life could be in a danger as she stayed with her other underage siblings. Their mum, she said, was working on a farm in Hoedspruit, Limpopo. She further stated that the victim could not fight or defend herself if the accused was released.
“The victim managed to identify the accused walking with another man shortly after leaving the scene,” said Sibuyi.
She added that community members were not happy about the incident, which was the reason they handed over a memorandum opposing bail.
Magistrate Robert Mokone postponed the matter to Wednesday, 10 February.
