THE case against a gobela from Alexandra in Joburg, who is accused of raping amathwasa, has been postponed again.
The gobela (40), dubbed the "Monster of Alex", appeared briefly in the Alexandra Magistrates Court on Wednesday, 29 November.
He's facing charges including rape. He is accused of raping amathwasa, assaulting them and allegedly asking them to have sex with him.
When the accused appeared in court two months ago, the trial was postponed because the gobela was sick and had to undergo an operation.
The matter has seen yet another postponement of four months, this as the intermediary, was not present Magistrate Hannile Banks revealed.
An intermediary is a person who communicates the prosecution's or defence's questions about the evidence to the child in a way that he or she understands.
Sangoma gogo Brenda Selibi, the leader of Masiphephe Network in Alexandra, an organisation that works to reduce vulnerability to gender-based violence (GBV), said the postponement has given them more time.
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"This postponement has given us another chance to gather our witnesses. Remember, we are dealing with children who have been given drugs and alcohol by the gobela. Some of them are addicts, so it's difficult for us to even track them down.
"But with this delay, we are forced to get back to work and strategise how we can support the families and children while encouraging them to be part of the process," Brenda said.
Gogo Brenda spoke to Daily Sun outside court following the hearing.
Daily Sun is of the understanding that the old man’s heinous crimes date back to 2020 until 2022. Some of these victims suffered physically and emotionally and some forced into drugs. But his alleged reign of terror was brought to a halt when the community caught him.
Daily Sun understands that the old man’s heinous crimes date back to 2020 to 2022. The youngest of the victims was 12 years old at the time of the incident.
Some of these victims have suffered physically and emotionally, while others have been forced into drugs. His alleged reign of terror was stopped when the community caught him.
Meanwhile, Sphiwe Manana, a member of the Traditional Healers Organisation, said the scourge of rape and abuse of ephehleweni is a cause for concern, especially when some of these gobelas are fake.
He said stricter measures need to be put in place to ensure that izangoma are verified and registered to ensure the safety of the initiates and to ensure that the person conducting them is legal.
