By Chevon Booysen and Francesca Villette
Cape Town - A senior official in the provincial treasury is expected back in court next month for the alleged rape of a 7-year-old boy, after several delays to the start of the case.
The man was arrested in January last year, and despite appearing in court 13 times, has still not pleaded.
He is also still working in the public office.
The head of the provincial treasury, David Savage, said they “will continue to monitor the case”.
When asked for comment on the official’s position in the department after the charge, Savage said: “We are aware of the serious allegation against one of our employees and have referred the matter to the People Management Practices’ directorate. The employee has not been suspended as the case is still due to come before the courts. We will continue to monitor the case and will be guided by the court’s verdict and relevant labour legislation accordingly.”
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the delays in the case were as a result of requests by the accused’s legal counsel.
“The NPA can confirm that the matter has been postponed several times, mostly at the request of the defence.
“These included instances of failed representations to the senior public prosecutor and the director of public prosecutions and him changing legal representatives.
“No trial date can be arranged if the legal representative who will represent the accused has not been appointed yet to discuss the date,” said Ntabazalila.
Police spokesperson Andrè Traut said the suspect was out on bail.
“This office can confirm that the rape case is under investigation by the Kuilsrivier FCS. The suspect was arrested and charged, and was released on bail by the court,” said Traut.
Community Safety MEC Albert Fritz earlier this month announced that advocate Leslie Morris would monitor gender-based violence and domestic violence cases within the Court Watching Briefs Unit.
The unit is tasked with monitoring cases currently before the court for any inefficiencies. Where they are struck off the court roll due to inefficiencies, this is raised to the attention of the provincial commissioner to ensure that the necessary remedial action is taken.
When approached for comment on the delays in the case, and whether it was monitoring this, Fritz’s office said: “The Court Watching Briefs Unit has been requested to monitor this case.”
The accused is expected in the Blue Downs Regional Court on August 31.