Cape Town - The family of a convicted rapist who is facing a new charge of child rape says he is mentally ill and was drinking beers on the day of the attack.
Andrew Rudolph, 52, appeared in the Mitchells Plain Regional Court on Monday, for the rape of a seven-year-old girl in Tafelsig in December.
The State has requested a report from a district surgeon to see if he is mentally fit to stand trial before they can proceed.
Family members of Rudolph’s claim he is schizophrenic and that he had had a mental breakdown after he was convicted of sexually assaulting two minors in 2003.
Rudolph, who is also known as “Mal Piet”, looked confused in the dock when he heard the State was still waiting on the report from the district surgeon.
The case was postponed to 29 March.
Inside court, Rudolph’s niece shouted: “Hi, Uncle Piet” and he waved at her, smiling.
Outside court, Rudolph’s sister, 55, who asked not to be identified, told the Daily Voice they believe he is innocent.
“He didn’t do it, he learnt his lesson because he was in Pollsmoor years ago for rape,” says the sister. “Hy het van sy kop af gegaan.”
“On the day of this incident he was drinking beers with the child’s mother and the police came to arrest him. He doesn’t even know why he is here and isn’t getting his medication inside prison. He is schizophrenic.”
It is believed he lured the little girl to bushes in Tafelsig, where he allegedly raped her.