Kimberley - A man accused of raping two young girls has been released from prison after the case was struck off the roll in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court due to outstanding DNA results.
Court records confirmed that the case has been removed from the roll.
The families of the two girls, aged six and eight, are now concerned about the safety of their children, as the accused is believed to be residing with his sister in the same vicinity of where the families are staying in Kagisho.
The DNA results have been outstanding for more than eight months after the 42-year-old accused was arrested in June last year.
Members of the community are in uproar and have threatened to take the law into their own hands and burn the accused alive if he attempted to harm anyone else.
The accused abandoned his right to bail in July 2015 after residents vowed to avenge the crimes he allegedly committed.
The two friends were playing outside when they were grabbed and taken to a shanty where they were raped at knifepoint, allegedly by the accused, in Madiba Square in June last year.
The girls were found the following morning in the locked shanty.
The six-year-old girl, who turns seven this month, sustained serious injuries and had to undergo two operations.
A community meeting was held last night to discuss how the neighbourhood can best safeguard themselves.
Resident Ishmail Petoro said that members of the community are concerned.
“They are angry because they want him to be kept in custody until the DNA tests are released.”
Neo Tekisho said that the movements of the accused should be monitored at all times, as he could intimidate possible witnesses in the trial or commit more rapes.
“The community dismantled the shack where the rapes took place. The accused should have remained behind bars on the kidnapping charges.”
The parents of the six-year-old girl have sent their daughter to live with another relative.
“We are so stressed that something could happen and cannot sleep even though we lock all the doors at night. We worry about her constantly.”
The father stated that his daughter used public transport to school and feared that the accused might kidnap her on the way home.
“If anything happens to her, let it be on the conscience of the magistrate who released him. While I will not go out of my way to harm anyone, if I find the accused inside my yard, hurting my family, I will do anything to protect them, even if it means killing him.
“We have not told our daughter that this man has been released from prison as we do not want to place undue emotional stress on her.”
He added that he is now unable to go to work, fearing for his family’s safety.
“I am torn between earning a living to provide for my family and not being there to protect them.
“We do not have faith in anything anymore, including the justice system. I know what this man is capable of doing and I cannot forgive him for his ghastly deeds.
“He must be chased away from this neighbourhood. My daughter spent three weeks in hospital because of the injuries that she sustained.”
The parents of the eight-year-old girl stated that their daughter is afraid of being alone and that they walk her to and from school.
“The investigating officer came to see us today (Monday) and told us that he has completed the investigation.”
Spokeswoman for the National Prosecuting Authority, Mashudu Malabi-Zany, said she would receive information regarding the case on Tuesday.
DFA