Johannesburg - A woman believed to be Nicholas Ninow’s mother sitting quietly and wiping her tears away was the only support for him in the North Gauteng High Court earlier on Monday ahead of his rape trial.
Ninow is on trial for allegedly raping a 7-year-old girl in the bathroom stall at a Dros restaurant in Silverton last year. He allegedly followed the child to the bathroom, where he attacked the girl.
He is facing charges of rape, drug possession, and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
His trial starts after a 30-day psychiatric evaluation at Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital found he was fit to stand trial.
This was after his legal team argued he had a history of mental illness and is an admitted drug user since the age of 14.
Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, #NotInMyName, ANCWL and other groups sat on the other side of the court in support of the family. Picture: Goitsemang Tlhabye
Ninow sat in the dock with his head bowed down for most of the time as journalists took pictures of him. His mother, dressed in a black and white, simply stared on and wiped away her tears with a tissue.
Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, #NotInMyName, ANCWL and other groups sat on the other side of the court in support of the family of the 7-year-old girl.
The trial is to begin at 11:30.