TWO guards aged 23 and 32, attached to a security company services in Mpumalanga, appeared briefly in court for bail application on Friday, 13 October.
They are facing four counts of rape and kidnapping before the Mhala Magistrates Court, but they quickly abandoned bail as they feared for their lives.
They looked fearful in the dock as public prosecutor Rhulani Hlatshwayo told the court that both were facing two counts of rape and two of kidnapping each.
Both are represented by their defence lawyers Vulani Mgiba and Deacorn Sibuyi.
"Both of our clients are no longer willing to proceed with bail application. Therefore, they abandoned the bail," said the lawyers.
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Residents, ANC, ATM and the EFF members who were in court to support the victims and their families walked out happy as the police were escorting the two guards to jail.
Ward 31 EFF cordinator Godfrey Sibuyi said: "We were happy when both of them decided to abandon bail on their own. This shows that they're on the wrong side of the law. So, we will keep on supporting the victims until the matter is finalised."
Community leader Mishack Ndlovu said:" We're totally against these guards’ heartless actions. They violated the victims’ rights. Instead of protecting them from any sort of harm, they chose to bungle them into a service car and kidnapped them. President Cyril Ramaphosa has said a mouthful that we must fight against gender-based violence and femicide. So, we want to see justice taking its course without fear or favour."
The victim’s gogo (60) said they received a call from the panicking boyfriend (18), saying he and her girlfriend were kidnapped by two guards at gunpoint. The boyfriend told the family that they had forced them into their marked service after finding them walking in the street on 13 September at about 10pm.
He said the guards then sped off with them and tortured them. But they decided to dump him in the bushes on the outskirts of Arthurstone and Kumani Village outside Thulamahashe and left with his girlfriend.
"Upon arrival arrival in Dwarsloop, both suspects dragged my granddaughter out of the car and forced her into one of the guards' rented rooms and raped her. Later they drove off with her and dumped her at Bushbuckridge traffic circle point. But Good Samaritans came to her rescue and called the Bushbuckridge police who managed to bring her to the Mhala Police Station to lay charges and both suspects were arrested. We'd like to thank the boyfriend who braved and called the police and us while still in the bushes, even though he was receiving calls from the guards threating to finish him if tells the police," said the gogo.
Magistrate Tanya Du Preez postponed the matter to 21 November for further investigations.
