A Joza pastor accused of raping a 14-year-old school girl refused to appear before the magistrate on Monday 28 October, following his attorney's withdrawal from the case.
A Joza pastor accused of raping a 14-year-old school girl refused to appear before the magistrate on Monday 28 October, following his attorney's withdrawal from the case.
The pastor was due to appear for a scheduled formal bail application when court officials told the magistrate that the well-known Joza resident refused to appear.
The former convict was due to complete his parole next year, according to a reliable source.
Community members and members of rights groups, including the ANC Women's League, have been attending court sessions since the pastor's arrest last month.
In a statement released at the time, police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender confirmed the man had been arrested on Friday 13 September.
"He faces charges of rape," she said
Earlier this month community members and pupils from a local high school marched to the Grahamstown Magistrate's Court to voice their opposition to the bail application. The alleged victim is a pupil at the school.
At a scheduled bail appearance on Monday 28 October, state prosecutor Lungile Msutu told the court the pastor's attorney had withdrawn from the case. He said the man had refused to come up from the court cells.
Msutu said the case had already been postponed five times for bail applications. This was the sixth postponement, but this time the magistrate insisted it would be for further investigation.
He said the court could requisition the accused should he make up his mind about applying for bail.
The magistrate said there was nothing court officials could do if the man refused to appear for bail.
The case was postponed in the pastor's absence to 28 November for further investigations.
