A 43-year-old man charged with raping an 11-year-old girl and a 28-year-old man who allegedly murdered his girlfriend both abandoned bail in the Port Alfred Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
A 43-year-old man charged with raping an 11-year-old girl and a 28-year-old man who allegedly murdered his girlfriend both abandoned bail in the Port Alfred Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
This as more than 150 community members, among them a local pastor and a political leader, protested outside the court demanding that the court refuses them bail.
Waving placards with slogans such as “Is being a woman a sin?” and “Respect God, Respect a human being”, the protesters called for stiffer sentences for perpetrators of crime, particularly those committed against women and children.
In the rape case, it is alleged that the accused man raped his girlfriend’s daughter in December 2015 and February 2016 in Nemato. However, the crime was only discovered on 9 March this year after it was discovered the girl was pregnant.
The man charged with murder, Phumlani Mamani, allegedly stabbed his girlfriend to death in Nemato last week. The body of the 20-year-old woman was found near a stream on Sunday, 13 March 2016 by a passerby.
It is alleged that the deceased had been walking with her friends the night before, Saturday, when they came across Mamani. He allegedly forced her to walk with him after he allegedly stabbed one of her friends and threatened another.
The two were arrested following the swift response of Nemato police members.
Appearing one immediately after the other, both men informed the court that they no longer had interest in applying for bail.
Magistrate Xolile Dlulisa postponed both cases to 28 April 2016 for further investigation. The state was still awaiting DNA test results for both men.
Paul Rossouw prosecuted.
Outside court, Ndlambe municipality Speaker, Vivienne Maphaphu, who had joined the protest in support of the victims’ families, said she was encouraged by the local men and women who voiced their anger towards the accused.
“We also want to help rescue the perpetrators from themselves,” said Maphaphu.
Protest organizer, Thembani Mazana, said more community members would be mobilized when the duo appear on 28 April.
Port Alfred cluster commander, Colonel Lizette Zeelie, commended the community members for their action and called for support for the young rape survivor.
