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By Sihle Mavuso 
17h ago
Durban – The main ANC Mpumalanga man who was arrested Monday morning for allegedly raping his eight-year-old twin daughters has been placed in pre-trial detention after making a brief appearance in Mbombela Magistrates Court.
He is expected to formally request bail on Thursday.
The former MEC and ANC deputy, who cannot be identified to protect the identity of the victims, has indicated through his lawyers that he wants to request bail.
Reports from the province indicate that the rape case was opened in July and after nearly two months of intensive investigations, police pounced on the politician this morning and arrested him in one of the leafy suburbs of Nelspruit.
The rape suspect, who is a former MEC, appeared alongside his 26-year-old stepson, who is believed to be an accessory in the rape case.
He was previously charged with raping a 26-year-old woman in 2012, but the NPA dropped the charges against him in Wynberg Magistrates Court.
At that time, the court was informed that the director of the Public Ministry had decided not to prosecute the suspect after examining the case file.
In order to protect the victims, who are 8 years old, the National Prosecutor’s Office requested that the two men not be identified as that would effectively identify the minor victims in the matter.
The matter was postponed until Thursday, October 1, 2020 for a formal bond hearing.
NPA spokeswoman in Mpumalanga, Monica Nyuswa, said they oppose the political leader and his stepson being released on bail.
“The NPA opposes the application of the bond,” Nyuswa told Independent Media on Monday night.
The politician and his stepson are currently in custody pending the bail hearing.
The province’s ANC has since issued a statement saying the man has been suspended from party activities.
In addition, he said that he supports the victims since gender violence is a scourge that he opposes.
Political Bureau
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