The Randburg Magistrate’s Court has again postponed the court appearance of a 34-year-old Ethiopian man accused of raping a seven-year-old girl inside his tuckshop in Diepsloot, citing a water shortage as the reason.
The man was scheduled to appear in court on July 25, following a previous postponement on July 18 to allow the state to secure an interpreter fluent in Amharic, the accused’s language.
Dinesh Nandkissort, the state prosecutor, said that due to a lack of water in the building, the case has been postponed to Thursday, August 2 next week.
This delay is attributed to Joburg Water’s unplanned maintenance on a burst pipe at the intersection of Republic Road and Malibongwe Drive in Ferndale, causing disruption in the area.
The man was arrested after he allegedly lured the girl and a boy, 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.
The father of the young girl who was raped said that the girl's mother had been discharged from the hospital after collapsing at the Diepsloot police station when they went to file a case.
“She is doing well, but she is over thinking about what happened to her daughter, and she does [not] know what is going to happen in the future because the boy was nearly kidnapped,” he said.
He said last week Friday, the boy was being followed by an unknown car, carrying two Ethiopian men who tried to coax him into getting into the car, but he managed to escape.
“The boy hurried home from school, bursting through the door. When I asked him what was wrong, he told me about a white car with two Ethiopian men who tried to persuade him to get inside. When he refused, they opened the door, causing him to run away until he reached home,” the father said.
He said that he informed the local police station about the matter, and they inquired about any witnesses to the incident at the time it occurred.
“The boy said that no one was present when this occurred, and all I can say is that he is now afraid to go outside to play with his friends, as he is afraid of what will happen to him,” he said.
He said that the whole family was fearful following the incident. He said they wanted justice to be served so that they could regain a sense of peace in their lives.
“I am just hoping that we get the justice that we need, that’s all I can say.”
He said that they began counselling sessions with social workers on July 24.
IOL