‘Evasive rape accused needs a quicker trial’

LONG intervals during a criminal case, especially where children were concerned, had a negative impact on the trial, said Childline KZN.

Adeshini Naicker, the organisation’s operations manager, spoke to the Daily News yesterday about a case where a rape accused had evaded police since his release on bail more than a year ago.

Zwelithini Zuma, a 35-year-old truck driver from Hammarsdale, was charged with two counts of rape in September 2018.

He allegedly raped two children, aged 9 and 10, at different places in Inchanga.

It is alleged that he first raped a 10-year-old boy, who he dropped off in his truck near a house where he walked in wielding a knife and raped a 9-year-old girl in the presence of her 8-year-old friend.

The little boy had been sent to a nearby shop when he was allegedly approached by the truck driver.

After failing to make his second appearance at the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court on September 25 in 2018, a warrant of arrest was issued.

He was initially arrested when police were able to track him down while driving his company truck. He was also identified by his victims as the “uncle in the truck”.

Naicker explained that children often forget details of the actual abuse. “And when asked to testify, their story often differentiates from the initial statement. Hence our stance that the quicker the case goes to trial the higher the chance of a conviction,” she said.

In March last year, police released Zuma’s picture when trying to locate him. He was also linked to six other rape cases through his DNA.

Some of the cases date back to 2016 in Mariannhill, KwaNdengezi and Mpumalanga. He allegedly walked into a house in Mariannhill and raped a 19-year-old woman in the presence of her mother and six-month-old baby while wielding a gun.

“A relative of the 9-year-old victim that Zuma allegedly raped questioned the methods that police were using to locate him,” Naicker said.

KZN police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said Zuma was still being sought by police. “We appeal to anyone with information on his whereabouts to contact police or our crime stop number 086 10111.”