South African man accused of raping maid, forcing her to perform sex acts on dog abandons bail bid

A 45-year-old man in South Africa, who faces multiple charges of raping and sexually assaulting his domestic help, abandoned his bail bid during a court hearing on Thursday (2 November).

The man was reportedly arrested after the 41-year-old maid approached police, accusing him of raping her and forcing her to perform sex acts on his dog at his home on 23 October.

South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said that the man was brought to the Bronkhorstspruit Magistrate's Court amid protests outside the court.

The victim told police that the accused man dragged her into a room in his house on the day of the crime and raped her multiple times until the early hours of the next day, police spokesman Captain Mavela Masondo told the newspaper Times Live last week.

"It is further alleged that the suspect then forced the victim to perform sexual acts on his dog. The police were alerted about this gruesome act and reacted swiftly to arrest the perpetrator," he said.

The victim is in a state of shock following the gruesome incident, Gogo Ndlovana, the regional secretary of Tshwane ANC Women's League, told News 24. "She is torn up and can't express herself. She needs a lot of support. She even told me the way this has been circulating on social media has tarnished her."

The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Gauteng, Lieutenant General Deliwe de Lange, assured the victim and her family "that the police will ensure that the suspect is brought to justice, and if found guilty, he must pay dearly for his evil and barbaric acts".

The accused man was charged with 10 counts of rape and sex assault, five of which were for repeated rape. The magistrate told the accused that he faces life imprisonment if found guilty of the charges.

Meanwhile, massive protests took place outside the court with people shouting slogans to demand justice for the rape victim. Police reportedly had to use stun grenades to disperse the crowd. There was heavy police protection inside the court as well, News 24 reported.

The court has postponed the next hearing to 5 February, 2018 to allow further investigation into the allegations, NPA spokesperson Phindi Louw told Times Live.