Durban — A 38-year-old man alleged to have raped and impregnated his teenage daughter told the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court that he was behind bars for four months because he could not afford bail of R4 000.
The man appeared in court from Westville Correctional Centre via the Audio Visual Remand System on Friday. He was granted bail in February.
His Legal Aid defence T Ramkissoon asked the court to reduce his bail to R2 000.
Magistrate Wendalynn Robinson declined the request saying there were reasons why she had set the bail at R4 000. Robinson asked the defence to give the court “good reasons” why it should be reduced.
State prosecutor Nomcebo Xulu asked that the matter be referred to the regional court prosecutor for guidance as DNA results were outstanding from investigations. Xulu said DNA had not been taken from the teenage daughter.
“We are waiting for the birth of the child,” said Xulu.
The matter was adjourned to May 25 for further investigation.
At the time her father was applying for bail the teenager was seven months’ pregnant. In February the court heard from investigating officer Sergeant Balungile Mgobhozi that the case was reported to the SAPS in January by an anonymous tip-off from a concerned member of the public. Mgobhozi testified that DNA would form part of her investigation, adding that the teenager was going to have a paternity test when the baby was born.
In February, Mgobhozi implored the court to deny the man bail, saying that the teen did not seem to understand that what had been done to her allegedly by her father was wrong.
Mgobhozi had said that when she interviewed her she told the officer to mind her own business; that she did not want her father arrested and wanted to continue living with him.
Following the police picking up and investigating the matter, the teen – who had been living with the accused and his girlfriend – was moved and was now living with her biological mother.
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