BELFAST — The South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO) in Machadodorp, under the Emakhazeni Local Municipality, has raised concerns over the reassignment of a prosecutor in a rape case involving a 32-year-old man accused of raping his stepdaughter and niece.
The accused was arrested on 15 April 2026 and has remained in custody as the matter was repeatedly postponed for a formal bail application.
SANCO alleged that the reassignment of the prosecutor was concerning and questioned whether it could influence the outcome of the bail process.
SANCO zonal coordinator Humphrey Ndlovu alleged that there may be a relationship between the new prosecutor and the defence attorney, a claim denied by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
“If that is the case, we fear that the move could be aimed at securing the suspect’s release on bail,” he said.
SANCO described the accused as “a very dangerous person” and said its main concern remains the safety of the children.
“Our fear is that if he is released, he will want to go back to the victims and finish what he started,” Ndlovu said.
The matter returned to court on 19 and 21 May before it was postponed to 28 May 2026 for the continuation of bail proceedings.
“We are happy with how the first prosecutor dealt with the matter so far. She managed to keep him behind bars, which is what the community wants. But we are now disappointed because changing her will make the suspect come back to society,” Ndlovu said.
The NPA rejected SANCO’s allegations, saying there was “no substance” to the claims.
The NPA stated that the first prosecutor was never removed from the matter and had been ready to proceed on several occasions, but the case was postponed at the request of the defence.
“The prosecutor informed the court professionally that she would be on leave from 19 May 2026 to 30 June 2026,” said NPA Mpumalanga spokesperson Monica Nyuswa.
Nyuswa added that the court then ordered that the matter be postponed for another prosecutor to continue with the bail application.
“The only other available District Court public prosecutor indeed continued with the bail application on 19 May 2026,” she said, adding that the accused remained in custody throughout the process.
She further stated that there was “no indication that there is anything but a professional relationship between the attorney and the prosecutors.”
“The magistrate will make a ruling on bail based on the facts before the court,” she said.
Nyuswa also indicated that the NPA’s internal review process remains available should the community wish to submit additional information or make representations to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in Mpumalanga.
The NPA also requested that the publication withhold the identities of the suspect and the victims’ parents to protect the children from further harm.
