Cape Town - The case against a Salt River man facing several charges of rape has been sent to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for a decision on whether he will be tried in the Western Cape High Court or the Cape Town Regional Court.
Riedwaan George, 49, appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday in connection with the rape of four girls ranging in age from eight to 11 between April and August last year.
George knew all four of the girls.
While it is not clear how many counts of rape George will face, the charge sheet says one of the girls was raped “over a long period”.
George was arrested in September and was released on R5 000 bail two months later. He is prohibited from contacting the girls, has to live at an alternative address in Crawford, and may not return to his Salt River home without notifying the investigating officer.
On Tuesday, prosecutor Melanie Wells told the court she had been instructed to ask for a postponement so that the docket could be referred to the DPP.
George’s lawyer, Asghar Mia, objected, saying the docket should have been sent to the DPP months ago.
“There are more than substantial delays in this case. The case has been postponed for two to three months at a time. For the case to be sent to the DPP’s office at this late stage is alarming, if not shocking,” Mia said.
Later, control prosecutor Carmen Daniels said arrangements had been made for consultations with the girls and their parents. She said the docket had to be sent away because of the number of girls involved and the seriousness of the charges against George.
After hearing the arguments, magistrate Alfreda Lewis found that the State was not unnecessarily delaying the investigation, and postponed the case to August 14.
Cape Argus