Johannesburg - The State has lined up 46 witnesses to testify against model agency boss Dawie de Villiers at his trial in the High Court sitting in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court.
The witness list included the young children he allegedly showed pornography to, alleged sexual assault, rape and fraud victims, as well as experts and investigators.
De Villiers faces a total of 38 charges.
The State alleged on Tuesday that De Villiers, owner of Model South Africa PTY (Ltd) committed various acts of sexual assault including rape, exposing two children to pornography, accessing and possession of child pornography, sexual grooming, crimen injuria and fraud between 2011 and 2013.
Most of the incidents allegedly took place in Kempton Park.
Prosecutor Arveena Persad lodged an application during proceedings to have the rape and sexual assault victims testify in camera. This, she said, was to ensure that the victims received a fair hearing in court.
Judge Cassim Moosa ruled that all the victims would testify in camera, including the children allegedly exposed to pornography. Only one sexual assault charge, committed against an adult female between 2006 and 2007 in Alberton, would be held in open court.
“The reason for this ruling is because the victim’s name has been on social media, and she has appeared on a television programme before, she is in the public domain,” said Moosa.
De Villiers was represented by Jacque Pienaar. The trial was postponed to Wednesday so as to give the court time to find an Afrikaans interpreter.
ANA