Twins abandon bid for bail as community gathers outside court

TWIN brothers, Tevin and Kevin Matsipe, who are accused of raping two 12-year-old cousins, yesterday decided to abodone their bail application in the Galeshewe Magistrate’s Court.

They are facing two facing counts of rape following an incident in February this year.

Galeshewe community members packed the court gallery yesterday and patiently waited for the accused to appear.

The mother of one of the rape victims wept when the accused took the stand while community members expressed their relief after they heard that the two men will not be applying for bail.

“It is wonderful that they have chosen not to apply for bail. It is winter now and they should not even be provided with a blanket or food because they are not worthy of such luxuries.

“They should remain in custody until this matter is completed and they are sentenced. We do not want them in our community,” they said.

Others warned that they were ready to deal with the accused should they be released.

“They were actually smart to abandon their bail (application). They must have known that the community is waiting for them outside. They will not come out and live peacefully after (allegedly) committing such a disgusting crime,” they vowed.

It is alleged that the two accused raped the children at the back of their grandmother’s house when she hired them to clean her yard. The alleged rapes occured over an unknown period of time.

The incident was uncovered when one of the girls fell ill and medical staff at the Thuthuzela Clinic told the mother that the child had been raped.

The case was postponed to next month.