Rape is a serious issue in South Africa, so there is bound to be great interest in incidents of rape in the country. Beyond that, obviously, there is bound to be greater interest if the accused is a public figure or a politician.
This reality played out recently with a politician and former Member of the Executive Council (MEC), who cannot be named for legal reasons.
The ex-MEC was accused of raping his 8-year-old twin daughters, an allegation he denied. The unnamed man was arrested back in 2020 with his stepson on allegations of rape.
Well, after a drawn-out legal battle, he has embraced a semblance of freedom as he has been acquitted of the allegations of rape, momentarily freeing him from the stigma of being a rape accused.
The news of the acquittal reverberated across South Africa, with some people hailing his acquittal and some faulting the legal process that led to his discharge.
Either way, the happiest person in all of this is the ANC man himself. With this ruling comes the freedom that he appeared to have lost while the allegations of sexual assault hung on his head. He joins the league of very few people who have been acquitted of rape in the Rainbow Nation.
