The case against a 43-year-old man, an ANC ward councilor from the Matlosana municipality in the North West, was adjourned in the Orkney Magistrate’s Court until 24 August 2023 for further investigation.
The man appeared in court on Friday for his formal application for bail, but decided to abandon his application after discussions with his lawyer, says Henry Mamothame, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
The state is waiting for the final result of the investigation to possibly lay more charges against the man before the case kicks off.
The man is provisionally facing 11 charges, two of which are for statutory rape, three for violating a child, one for the production of pornographic material, four for rape and one for sexual intimidation.
His case stems from an investigation by the police’s unit for domestic violence, sexual offenses and child protection in Klerksdorp which investigated a case of crimen injuria and two charges of statutory rape. The cases were reported to the Kanana Police Station.
The man remains in custody.
RNews earlier reported that the man was arrested after videos of the alleged acts were shared on social media. A case of crimen injuria was filed in June 2023 after the suspect apparently shared a photo of his genitals with one of the alleged victims.
In a second separate case – against the same suspect – two charges of statutory rape were brought by the parents of two teenage boys (15 and 17 years old). This after an explicit video of the man and one of the boys was forwarded on social media platforms, including on WhatsApp.
The NPA asked people not to share sexual content of any kind on any platform, as it could harm the victims and their families, as well as the investigations.
- The man’s name is being withheld to protect the victims due to the nature of the charges against him.
