Four articles that sum up the Dros 'rape' incident so far

The 20-year-old man accused of raping a seven-year-old child at a Dros restaurant will undergo a mental evaluation at Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital.

This is according to an order during the suspect's appearance in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on Wednesday.

A team of four mental health specialists will assess the accused to determine his state of mind at the time of the incident.

The case has sparked widespread public interest since reports of the alleged rape first emerged in September last year. The matter is set to be followed closely in 2019. Four articles sum up what has happened so far:

Distribution of Dros incident video 

A video said to have been recorded on the night of the alleged rape was widely circulated on social media in September.

The recording showed a man being confronted by restaurant patrons in the toilet where the rape allegedly took place.

The government released a statement on Twitter asking the public not to distribute the video as it "was insensitive to the child and her family and could jeopardise the legal processes."

Dros releases a statement

The restaurant chain released a statement about the alleged rape at its Watermeyer franchise, but its contents angered the public.

Outspoken radio show host Eusebius McKaiser, for example, tweeted that the statement was "shocking".

"It lacks empathy and uses sanitised language," wrote McKaiser.

Family struggles to cope

Two weeks after the incident, Tshwane mayor Solly Msimanga told journalists that he had visited the family prior to the suspect's court appearance.

"The engagement was very heartbreaking because you have an innocent child that doesn't know what's happening around them," said Msimanga.

Fundraising efforts for victim's therapy

A group of "concerned South Africans" launched a crowdfunding campaign to help cover the costs of "therapy and rehabilitation for the victim".

"Therapy is very costly these days and we know for many people it is not possible to pay for it," said a spokesperson for the campaign, who wanted to remain anonymous.