Cape Town - Prominent Mitchells Plain businessman charged with the abduction and rape of a 13-year-old Uitsig girl was denied bail in the Goodwood Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. The case was postponed to March 10.
Aneez Brandt, who was a friend of the family, was accused of taking the girl, without her mother’s consent, on the afternoon of January 22 under the pretext of fixing her phone.
It is alleged that Brandt, after collecting the phone from the victim's grandfather's house in Mitchells Plain, stopped at an address in Vootrekker Road, Goodwood, identified as Go West Room Rental, where he rented a room and raped the victim by inserting his fingers into her vagina.
According to a warning statement brought forward by the State prosecutor yesterday, Brandt’s account of events corroborated with the girl’s affidavit. However, Brandt maintained that he did not force her into the car or rape her. He agreed though that after they arrived at the establishment in Voortrekker Road, he took off his shirt and shoes and they kissed.
Magistrate Nowawethu Dayimani-Madolwana said Brandt’s fear of suffering financial loss could not be considered as an exceptional circumstance. She said he had not proven any exceptional circumstances in the court.
Dayimani-Madolwana said Brandt did not dispute allegations put to him by the State and elected not to respond to questions related to the merits of the case, and that he did not provide evidence disputing allegations against him. The magistrate said there was a lot of evidence against Brandt, and that the State had a strong case against him.
Dayimani-Madolwana said while she noted the community's petition and the protests, she said courts had been warned about taking public pressure into consideration to be used as a grounds against granting bail.
The mother of the girl, who can’t be named to protect the identity of the minor, said the family were elated that Brandt was denied bail.
“But at the end of the day, for some reason, my heart goes out to his children because I am a parent. However, what makes me angry is that last April my husband and my daughter were shot and my husband passed away.
“For him (Brandt) to intimidate her with a gun, knowing she fears guns, gets to me. I feel our justice system has failed our people many times and, for as long as I am alive, this case won’t disappear,” she said.
Brandt was remanded in custody.