Rhodes Park attack suspect cannot prove legal status
A young man accused of being part of a gang that brutally attacked two couples at Rhodes Park in Kensington‚ Johannesburg‚ has abandoned his bid for bail because he cannot prove that he entered the country legally. The 24-year-old man‚ who by law cannot be named until he has pleaded because of the sexual nature of the charges‚ appeared briefly in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court on Tuesday before Magistrate Lucas van der Schyff postponed the matter.The man‚ who is from Zimbabwe‚ was arrested on October 30 and faces charges of murder‚ rape and attempted murder.On Tuesday‚ he abandoned his application to be released on bail because his family failed to produce documentation before the court that proves he is in the country legally.Another suspect‚ a 22-year-old man‚ was arrested in Yeoville‚ Johannesburg‚ earlier this month.Both are alleged to have been part of a gang of around a dozen men who attacked two couples who had gone to the park after a church service on October 17.The gang allegedly beat the two men‚ stripped them naked and tied their hands and feet with their clothes before throwing them in the lake‚ where they drowned.One of the women was raped while the other escaped.The two suspects will appear in court together on December 9. They both remain in custody.No further arrests have been made yet. – TMG Digital/TMG Courts and Law..
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