Zanzou case: State wants court to consider accused's violence before granting him bail

JOHANNESBURG - The State in the case against a bouncer at the Zanzou nightclub has asked the Pretoria Magistrates Court to consider the violent nature of the crimes he is accused of before granting him bail.

The 41-year-old Congolese national returned to the dock for his bail hearing on Thursday.

He sought to convince the court that he is eligible for bail.

The man was arrested last month when videos surfaced showing young men at the Pretoria nightclub being sexually violated by bouncers.

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Lawyers for the 41-year-old accused say there is no evidence that he will commit any crime if he is granted bail, and he has no intention to flee because he is awaiting an asylum seeker's permit

But the State has argued that the violent crimes he has been accused of, forcing the young men to sodomise themselves, must be reason enough to deny him bail.

Prosecutors have also pointed out that the accused has already been outed by a victim in an identity parade, showing that there is a case against him.

The bouncer is facing eight counts of compelled assault and five counts of assault to cause grievous bodily harm.

The State says the court must consider the gravity of the charges against the accused in totality.