LIMPOPO. – The trial of a 28-year-old man accused of raping two nurses at Ga-Chuene clinic and committing several other serious crimes has been postponed to 22 October in the Polokwane High Court. The postponement follows the unavailability of the defence's legal representative due to the ongoing strike at Legal Aid South Africa. The accused remains in custody.
Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi, NPA spokesperson, says the man is standing trial on charges of attempted murder, possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, pointing a firearm, two counts of kidnapping, five of rape, six of housebreaking with intent to commit a crime and seven of robbery with aggravating circumstances. His identity is being withheld to protect a minor complainant in one of the rape charges.
According to the NPA, the charges relate to incidents allegedly occurring between December 2024 and January 2025 in the towns of Ga-Chuene and Ga-Maja. The man allegedly entered women's homes, threatened residents with violence and demanded valuable items, including cellphones, laptops and cash. He is also accused of sexually assaulting minors.
The NPA says the accused allegedly threatened security personnel at Ga-Chuene clinic with a firearm and tied them up before kidnapping two nurses. He allegedly took them to nearby bushes, where he allegedly raped them and robbed them of their cellphones. The victims were later able to return to the clinic. The investigation linked the man to the crimes while he was already in custody in connection with an unrelated matter.
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
