Man (29) accused of raping 11-year-old girl denied bail

JOHANNESBURG - A 29-year-old man accused of the rape of an 11-year-old girl has been denied bail by the Boksburg Magistrates Court.

Magistrate Sipho Manana delivered the verdict on Monday afternoon.

The man was arrested last month after the child’s family discovered that she had been violated and impregnated, allegedly by the man who is a family friend.

Applause erupted from a public gallery packed with the victim’s supporters from the Ugandan community when Magistrate Manana denied the accused bail.

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The court found that the accused failed to prove exceptional circumstances for his release.

This was a requirement for his bail in light of the seriousness of the offence.

“The state in this case is not obliged to produce evidence in the true sense. It is enough that the prosecutor has established the presence of a prima facie case against the applicant, which the applicant did not dispute or contradict.”

Dressed in a grey Chicago Bulls basketball team hoody with a fresh-looking haircut, the confident-looking accused muttered, “Thank you, your worship”, before making his way back to the holding cells.