By Staff Reporter
DZENANI – A 47-year-old man, a senior official in the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions: Limpopo Division, has been denied bail in the Dzanani Magistrates Court.
He faces 10 counts of rape of a 16-year-old girl, with the alleged abuse dating back to 2022.
To protect the victim, both the names of the accused and the victim are being withheld.
The alleged rapes occurred on multiple occasions over a three-year period, beginning when the victim was 13 years old.
The most recent alleged incident took place on April 29, 2025.
According to court documents, the suspect allegedly attempted to bribe the family to prevent them from reporting the matter. He also allegedly took the girl to the bushes, a guest house, and his own house, and gave her money to purchase a morning-after pill.
The accused was arrested on April 29, 2025, after the victim disclosed to her mother that she had been allegedly raped by the accused since 2022, when she was 13.
This most recent incident prompted the victim to report to her mother, who then notified her uncle. The matter was subsequently reported to the Dzanani police station, and the accused was arrested.
During the bail application judgment, the court stated, “The state has a strong case, and there is a likelihood that the accused can interfere with the state witnesses.
The safety of the accused can be compromised, and his release can cause public disorder. The onus is on the applicant to prove that exceptional circumstances do exist, and that the interests of justice permit the applicant to be released on bail.”
The court found that the applicant failed to demonstrate the existence of exceptional circumstances that would justify his release on bail, and that the interests of justice did not permit his release.
Consequently, the court dismissed his application for bail.
The matter has been remanded to June 25, 2025, for further investigations, and the accused remains in custody.
