Bail denied for ‘serial rapist’ Bolt driver

An alleged serial rapist accused of preying on customers while working as a Bolt driver is set to remain behind bars for the foreseeable future, after being denied bail.

The 25-year-old – who cannot be publicly identified until he has tendered an official plea – appeared in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court earlier this week to apply for bail. He was back in the dock on Thursday where he heard that the application was dismissed.

During his application, the accused had argued that the DNA test results were still outstanding and so there was – at it stood – no DNA evidence against him. He had also argued that an identity parade – in which three out of the four complainants positively identified him – had been compromised by the fact that his photograph had been circulated on social media ahead of time.

Magistrate Godwin Sadiki on Thursday found that he hadn’t been able to show the state’s case against him was a weak one.

“With what the state has in its possession, I can’t see how the accused can avoid responsibility,” he said.

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The Bolt driver had insisted he was innocent and said he planned on pleading not guilty. 

He further suggested one of the complainants had accused him of raping her in a revenge bid following a dispute over change and that he was the victim of a case of mistaken identity by the other three. 

In opposition, state advocate Given Mbedzi laid out how the accused signed on with Bolt on 9 January this year and allegedly raped four women – three of whom were customers – between 17 January and 24 February. 

Mbedzi described the accused as a “serial rapist” with a high chance of re-offending were he to be released on bail. 

An affidavit from investigating officer Victor Seeti, meanwhile, had detailed the harrowing accounts of the complainants who had told police how he had prophesied to them and then told them he needed to fill his car but instead drove past the petrol station to an isolated area in the vicinity of Malibongwe Drive, Randburg, and raped them. He allegedly threatened them afterwards.

ALSO READ: More victims come forward against Bolt driver accused of rape

Charged with schedule six offences, the onus was on the accused to show there were exceptional circumstances permitting his release on bail in the interest of justice. But Sadiki found he had failed and that there were “weighty reasons behind the arrest of the accused”.

The accused had attempted to hand himself over to police after his photograph started circulating on social media but was turned away because there was no criminal case against him at the time.

The magistrate said, however, that in his view the accused’s decision to hand himself over was as a result of the fact that he knew the police were closing in on him.

He also found the accused’s personal circumstances – which included that he had a young son who was financially dependent on him  – did not pass muster. 

“It is therefore my determination that the applicant failed to prove or establish the existence of exceptional circumstances,” he said.

The case is due back in court in June.

Bolt SA offered sexual abuse victims food vouchers and month long free rides