Bhisho legislature employee in court after ‘party’

A BHISHO legislature employee appeared in the King William’s Town Magistrate’s Court yesterday on suspicion of drugging two Bloemfontein women and assaulting at least one.

King William’s Town police spokeswoman Captain Siphokazi Mawisa said the 49-year-old man was arrested at his residence on Monday morning. He cannot be named until he has pleaded to the sexual assault charge.

Asked for comment, legislature spokesman Velisile Bukula said: “As the provincial legislature we are not aware of the employee’s whereabouts.

“He has not reported for work since Monday and our attempts to reach him were not successful.

“Although acts of this nature tend to bring the legislature into disrepute, we cannot comment further because we do not have the full facts at this stage.”

Police said the man is alleged to have met the two women – aged 26 and 34 and both from Bloemfontein – at a buy-and-braai place in King William’s Town on Sunday evening.

The trio later took the party to his place. The women say they woke up the following morning naked next to him.

Mawisa said the women were not familiar with the area as they were in the province for temporary duties.

They left the home and asked around for the nearest police station until they came across a patrol van and reported what had happened to the SAPS officers.

Police then drove to the man’s house and arrested him. Mawisa said the younger woman had laid a complaint of sexual assault.

“At this stage her 34-year-old friend is unsure whether she was sexually assaulted or not but they were both examined by a doctor.

“Police are waiting for DNA test results,” Mawisa said.

The accused appeared before magistrate Nkosinathi Mjekula yesterday and was granted R500 bail.

The case was postponed to March 20 for further investigation.

Mawisa said the women had confirmed to the investigating officer of the case that they would avail themselves for trial although they lived and worked in Bloemfontein. —