South Africa News

Brave Dros rape victim thanks state in emotional testimony

The eight-year-old girl who was r@ped in a Dros restaurant has thanked the state for helping her. The little girl gave evidence in a room, separate from the courtroom, via CCTV in the case against Nicholas Ninow on Wednesday morning.

The NPA says the court had to hear from the child, as the sequence of events needed to be established. NPA spokesperson Phindi Louw Mjonondwane said the child’s testimony was moving.

“The bravery – we just could not comprehend how the child got it to come to court, tell the sequence of events. Today it was not about her telling the court about the initial or the main event of rape, because that was not in dispute, but rather it was about the sequence of events…what happened before the main event of r@pe.” Mjonondwane said the child told the court that Ninow followed her to the bathroom.

Dros restaurant in Pretoria

This contradicted Ninow’s statement in his plea explanation where he said the child found him in the bathroom. On Monday, Ninow pleaded guilty to two counts of rape and possession of drugs.

Ninow is on trial for raping the child in the toilets at the Dros Restaurant in Silverton, Pretoria. The state will be arguing for life imprisonment.  Closing arguments will be heard on Thursday.

In other news – Sipho Hotstix Mabuse doesn’t want abusers at his shows

Singer Sipho Hotstix Mabuse is giving gender-based violence the thumbs down and has made it clear he doesn’t want abusers to attend his shows. Hotstix expressed his views on femicide and the importance of people speaking out against the killing of women and children on Phat Joe & The Family’s radio show on Radio 2000.

Sipho Hotstix Mabuse

“It has become so endemic that we are silent to this topic. Men are silent and I think my colleagues [the musicians] should speak out and use the platform and actually make the loudest noise about men who abuse children and women that they do not belong to this society. The jazz singer said that abusive men should not even come to his shows. Read more

Source: eNCA