The case of an ANC member accused of raping and kidnapping a 15-year-old girl in the North West has been postponed to allow him to get a legal representative and apply for bail .

The man, who is in his 40s, appeared briefly in the Vryburg Magistrate’s Court yesterday. He is facing one count of rape, one count of attempted murder and one count of abduction.

According to the court papers, he allegedly raped a 15-year-old girl at his home on November 15 last year.

The ANC member faces a charge of attempted murder relating to sleeping with the girl while knowing that he i s HIV positive.

ANC provincial secretary Dakota Legotoe said the man has been for some time trying to convince members of the party and the community to support his ambitions to become the ANC candidate for the local government elections.

The last encounter between the man and the teenager is said to have been 10 days ago when he was seen entering his house with the girl and later leaving without.

Magistrate Itumeleng Mabudisa said on February 6, the man allegedly abducted the girl with the intention of having sex with her.

Asked if he needed a legal representative, the man, who was wearing a red T-shirt and a pair of jeans, said he wanted to check whether his father had managed to find him a lawyer.

“I will need my own lawyer. There is someone I have to see first to discuss issues of getting a lawyer. I want to consult with my father,” he said.

The courtroom was packed with ANC members. Some were supporting the accused, saying his arrest was a plot to block his political ambition ahead of the upcoming local government elections.

They held placards written “Hands off our leader”, and “Stop all political plots”. They said the underage girl was not raped but was in a long-term relationship with their comrade.

On the opposite side was another group of ANC members who taunted the accused, calling him a “rapist”.

Legotoe said the ANC did not and will not support any candidate with criminal behaviour.

“We are convinced and confident that members of the ANC have made a correct choice by electing individuals with clean criminal records and good behaviour to represent the ANC in the coming local government elections,” Legotoe said.

The man will appear in court again on Monday.
Courtesy: Sowetan Newspaper