Some of the suspects are yet to be linked to the rape of eight young women on Thursday while in West Village, Krugersdorp, who were believed to have been shooting a music video.
MORE than 85 illegal miners and suspects in the gang rape of eight young women will be back in the Krugersdorp Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, after making a brief appearance on Monday.
Some of the suspects are women, while 20 others are said to be minors charged with contravention of the Immigration Act.
Some of the suspects are yet to be linked to the rape of eight young women on Thursday while in West Village, Krugersdorp, who were believed to have been shooting a music video.
Community organisations, interests groups, NGOs, faith-based organisations and political parties protested outside the court.
Following their brief appearance, the case was postponed to tomorrow when the suspects are expected to continue being tried for rape, theft and possession of illegal firearms.
The prosecution team asked for the postponement, due to the high number of suspects who have to undergo an identification parade.
This comes after 67 suspects were arrested on Friday and a further 17 arrested on Saturday, in a joint operation.
Speaking during a media briefing on Monday, national Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola said the police would leave “no stone unturned in linking the suspects to the crimes” they allegedly committed.
“I would like to take the opportunity to assure South Africans that the multi-disciplinary team of investigators assigned to the West Village incident of multiple rapes of young women will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the suspects are ultimately linked to the crimes, so that they can face the full might of the law,” Mademola said.
Police Minister Bheki Cele said he had asked the SAPS’s forensic science laboratory to fast-track the DNA testing of the suspects.
Cape Times
