An Ethiopian man, 34, accused of raping a Diepsloot girl, 7, inside his tuckshop will face his fate today in court. Picture: Simon Majadibodu / Independent Newspapers
A 34-year-old Ethiopian accused of raping a seven-year-old girl in his tuckshop at Diepsloot will find out today if he is getting bail or staying behind bars.
This comes after the mother of the minor broke down in tears in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on August 3, while testifying against the bail application of the man.
The man was arrested after he allegedly lured the girl and her brother, 10, inside his shop with snacks and then gave the boy R5 and told him to cover his face. Then he allegedly raped the girl.
As the mother took the stand to testify against the accused, she vividly recounted the incident that continues to haunt her family.
“I don't want the man to get bail. What he did to my daughter is horrific, and I'm still shaken. Now, my daughter is too scared to play with her friends because everyone’s talking about it.”
The mother, whose identity is protected to shield the minor, told the court that the man is a danger to others.
“I want him to stay in jail. The community is terrified he might hurt someone else if he's released,” the tearful mother told the court.
She alleged that this is not the first time the accused committed such a crime.
“He did the same thing to another woman, who said he raped her and then threatened to accuse her of theft from his shop if she reported him,” she said.
The mother broke down in tears and left other supporters also in tears as she explained how her boy, 10, keeps demonstrating in the house how his younger sister was raped.
“He keeps on demonstrating to us how his younger sister was raped by this man, and I am afraid that he might go to his friends and try to demonstrate what was done to his younger sister,” she said, while tears rolled down her face.
Meanwhile, the accused's lawyer, Lawrence Mathonsi, argued in court that the mother had not provided solid evidence proving his client committed the crime and is a danger to the community.
State prosecutor Sibongile Mncengani presented evidence, provided by an investigating officer who was absent, that the accused's asylum visa had expired on March 9, 2022.
She said 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.
“If the suspect is released on bail it will put the lives of the community in danger because the incident has already caused an uproar in Diepsloot.”
Mncengani argued that the State has a strong case, backed by solid evidence proving the accused raped the minor.
“There’s an evidence of injuries to the external genitalia of the child that indicates that she was raped,” she told the court, as she read a medical report.
The magistrate will today reveal if the man walks out on bail or heads back to the cells and joins other inmates.
IOL