Icon’s grandson’s bail conditions amended

The bail conditions of the rape accused grandson of a Struggle icon have been amended in a Joburg court.

Johannesburg - The bail conditions of the rape accused grandson of a Struggle icon were amended in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

He is accused of raping a 15-year-old girl in the bathroom of a restaurant in Greenside on August 7. The complainant alleges the accused followed her to the bathroom and raped her.

Marinda Veldsman, for the accused, said the application was brought because her client had depression.

They handed a doctor’s letter stating the accused’s condition to Magistrate Paul Du Plessis.

Veldsman requested that the accused’s residential address be changed to One Military Hospital in Pretoria and that he report to the Lyttelton Police station on Monday and Thursday between 4pm and 5pm.

Du Plessis stated that the accused’s new bail conditions were effective from September 4 until November 5.

It included that he remained a patient at One Military Hospital in Pretoria and could only leave when reporting to the Lyttelton police station with his identity book.

The 24-year-old is expected to be back in court on November 6.

On August 25, he was granted bail of R7 000.

The accused was warned not to communicate with any of the State’s witnesses, which included via social networks.

During the bail application proceedings, the accused’s defence team brought into question the age of the alleged victim, which was crucial to determining what schedule offence the accused would face.

The accused currently faces a schedule six offence as the alleged victim is a minor.

While a birth certificate presented to the court showed she was 15 years old, Veldsman said it had yet to be verified that the document was in fact that of the complainant.

The complainant has alleged that when the accused tried to kiss her, she attempted to push him away.

She claimed he pushed her back, turned her around and pulled down her pants while she was screaming.

In his affidavit, the accused claimed he deserved to be granted bail because he had two children, and another on the way, adding that he was not a flight risk as he had surrendered all his passports.

*The accused cannot be named until he has pleaded.

**Comments have been closed to protect the identity of the minor or minors mentioned in the article.

ANA