Man denied bail following arrest for allegedly raping 7-year-old stepdaughter

A family’s search for justice is taking its first tentative steps.

The Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court concluded a bail application hearing on August 10 for a man accused of raping his stepdaughter. The man was arrested in Durban where he recently moved to following his divorce from the victim’s mother. The accused appeared on July 31 before a postponement to August 7. The bail application was heard by Magistrate Nair, who postponed it until August 10 to consider her decision.

The crimes are alleged to have been committed in 2019 and at the bail hearing the court heard the statement given by the victim to the investigating officer. The victim claimed her stepfather raped her on several occasions in the afternoons after school. The victim, who was seven years old at the time, claims she was whipped with a belt, forced to take narcotics and threatened at gunpoint to ensure her silence.

The mother of the victim claimed to have first heard of the alleged incidents when she was contacted by the principal of the victim’s school. The victim is reported to have mentioned the incidents to a staff member at the school and the matter was subsequently escalated. A case was opened at Florida Police Station and the accused was arrested in Durban before being brought back to Johannesburg.

The mother told the court how she was granted a protection order against her now ex-husband before her divorce and claimed to have not known that the accused possessed a firearm. The state opposed bail due to the severity of the accusations and the mother concurred, relaying how her now 11-year-old daughter lived in fear, was on depression medication and was struggling to sleep.

The defence argued the accused had sufficient medical conditions to be granted bail and was a financial contributor to the joint household in Durban. Nair questioned whether the accused could shuttle back and forth from Durban to attend court, something the defence was certain of. The state responded by pointing out that despite the accused’s medical reasons, the accused was still employed. Nair denied bail as the defence could not prove exceptional circumstances to allow for his conditional release.

The Jasriel Foundation had been supporting the victim’s family since hearing about the accused’s arrest. The foundation was founded by rape survivor Olivia Jasriel who now helps families navigate the justice system to prevent secondary trauma.

“We assist the victims from the reporting stage to conviction by attending court with or for them. We try and make the process as painless as possible because we know how the system works and what to do in the event of a hiccup,” elaborated Jasriel.

Gender-based violence and crimes against children continue to blight South Africa. She explained her commitment to the cause, “We must keep the public aware and abreast of these types of crimes because of the volumes we see. Awareness and education will assist in helping eliminate these crimes. One in three children, boys and girls, are abused and it is most likely by someone they know.”