Two months have passed since eight women were raped during a movie shoot at an abandoned mine in West Village, Krugersdorp. This week, 14 male suspects were in court, but updates on the case are sketchy, aggravated by a media ban on court proceedings.
The police ministry has poured cold water on speculation that forensic backlogs at South Africa’s laboratories are causing delays in the Krugersdorp gang rape case.
This comes as the case against 14 men accused of raping eight women who were shooting a music video at an abandoned mine in West Village on 28 July was postponed this week in the Krugersdorp Magistrates’ Court to 28 November.
Court officials said the case was postponed due to the state’s inability to link DNA evidence against the accused, the fact that one suspect is a minor, and collection of further evidence.
Accessing accurate information was tricky because proceedings were held behind closed doors, with the media and public barred from entering, ostensibly because of the appearance of the minor.