A 19-year-old Hanover Park man accused of raping a domestic worker has been sent to Pollsmoor Prison after he was caught by neighbourhood watch patrollers.
Shakeel du Plessis, 19, stood grinning in the dock at Wynberg Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday as he was informed that he faces rape, robbery and kidnapping charges.
Du Plessis and another man were arrested on Friday morning after the 25-year-old mother was robbed and raped on a veldjie and were caught by members of the Pinati Estate Neighbourhood Watch.
During court proceedings it was revealed that the state had opted not to prosecute the second suspect, but the reasons were not explained.
Wearing a tracksuit pants and red hoodie, Du Plessis smiled as the state prosecutor read part of the victim’s statement where she told her attacker she was menstruating, but this did not deter him from raping her.
The accused opted to defend himself and told the court he would be applying for bail, but the case was postponed to today as he has two outstanding cases which will also be heard at Wynberg court today.
Meanwhile, Zain Allie of the watch says the community is kwaad with the City of Cape Town for allowing a contractor to dump building rubble on the veldjie.
“It started in February 2019 and we raised our concerns because they dumped the rubble so high that it creates the perfect hiding spot for robbers who target people here,” he says.
“We raised it with the City for so long and nothing was done, but yesterday morning we saw they came to clear it up.
“Why did it take for someone to get raped before they do something?” he asks.
Mayco Member for Transport Felicity Purchase says the contractor working on the Jan Smuts Drive project is managing the construction site.
“All of the material removed from the construction site, such as old concrete, is temporarily stockpiled at this location prior to it being loaded and removed for crushing.
“Material that may be reused as part of the construction process is also stockpiled.
“This is the standard modus operandi for all major road projects across the city, and is a temporary measure only – the material is stockpiled until there is enough for a truckload to be removed.”
She says the contractor has been informed of the community’s concerns and will tidy up the site “as far as possible”.