The Evander Magistrate’s court denied bail to a 35-year-old alleged serial rapist on Friday, July 9.
His bail hearing took three days because of the many witnesses who were supposed to testify, including the investigation officer, Sgt Hezekiel Malapela.
Sgt Malapela told the court that the suspect is a flight risk because he doesn’t have a fixed residential address.
He is currently living in a rented room in eMbalenhle.
Sgt Malapela testified that the investigating officers went as far as Tonga where the suspect was born, but he was unable to provide the police with a direct fixed address and also failed to take them to his family.
When asked about the investigation, Sgt Malapela told the court that it is nearly completed.
Only blood samples that were taken to the laboratory and cellphone results that will prove that the suspect kept on calling one of his victims who is from eMbalenhle are outstanding.
The court also heard that the suspect was previously arrested for the same offence, but the case was later struck off the court roll in Tonga.
Sgt Malapela told the court that three of the four victims identified the suspect in an identification parade that was conducted by the police at the eMbalenhle Police Station.
The court also heard that all the victims told the police that they had been raped by a man driving a maroon Corolla. The suspect is driving a maroon Toyota Corolla.
The policeman testified that the same pattern was used in each crime.
When arriving at the spot of his choice, the suspect exited his vehicle and went to the boot of the car from where he pulled out a knife.
“He told his victims to get undress and lie down on the back seat and then he raped them.”
Afterwards, the rapist gave the victims a container with water to wash before dropping them off far from their destination.
The suspect is being charged with four counts of rape and four counts of knapping.
He was arrested last month.
It is alleged that the suspect targeted young women who were either hitchhiking or helping him with directions. He pretended to be looking for someone in the area.
The court heard that three of his victims were hitchhiking, while a 14-year-old girl was taken from Leandra when the suspect had stopped her and pretended that he was looking for a certain place and asked the girl to take him there.
However, the suspect turned off on the R29 road, drove out of Leandra and passed Eendracht.
He allegedly raped the child in nearby fields.
The magistrate gave the investigators five weeks to finalise all the outstanding evidence.
The case was postponed until 12 August.
