Dog rape: Strict bail conditions

2003-04-10 20:58

Johannesburg - Two Taiwanese nationals accused of assaulting their teenage servant were released on R20 000 bail each in the Kempton Park magistrate's court on Thursday, and ordered to report daily to local police until the end of their trial.

Magistrate Stephen Holzen said Cheri Wang, 24, and her brother Ken Wang, 26, should hand over to the court their Taiwanese and South African passports, firearms, and report to the Kempton Park police station every day.

The two should under no circumstances apply for any travelling documents before the end of the case, Holzen said.

Nor should they be allowed to enter any airport, port, or any building at any border post for the duration of the court case.

Holzen said he granted the two bail because the court was not offered facts which could have prevented him from releasing them on bail.

"They are not a flight risk because they run several businesses together with their parents and are South African citizens who are in possession of South African passports," he said.

Cheri Wang and Ken Wang hold both Taiwanese and South African passports. They immigrated to South Africa with their parents in 1990.

Penetrated

The siblings are accused of beating up their 15-year-old domestic worker, shooting at her, and then forcing her to have sex with a large dog while she was on her hands and knees.

This was allegedly done as punishment because the girl, who worked at the family's plot on Pomona Road in Kempton Park, reportedly did not do her cleaning work properly. She worked for the Wangs for about two months.

The brother and sister run a bottle store and a Chinese takeaway business. They also own flats in Johannesburg. Their parents are involved in the operation of the businesses.

Cheri Wang was arrested on Tuesday night while Ken Wang handed himself over to the police on Wednesday morning - just before their bail application started.

The case was postponed to June 30 in order for the police to conduct DNA tests.

During their bail hearing, members of the African National Congress Women's League walked up to the suspects, and hurled insults at them. Police were called in to calm them.

Captain Annemarie Potgieter testified that the allegations against the brother and sister were very serious, and the police were now trying to put the teenager in a place of safety. The police want to get her back to school.

A doctor who examined the girl, said there was no doubt that the girl was penetrated. But nobody knew if it was by a dog or the Chinese man, Potgieter said.

Mbeki

She said various other cases related to the incident were being investigated against the two accused.

President Thabo Mbeki has strongly condemned the incident while Democratic Alliance MP Mike Waters said he was profoundly shocked.

Waters added: "What one must keep in mind is that a magistrate can only base his or her decision on the facts presented in court."

The Presidency said in a statement: "The President, on behalf of the government and people of South Africa, condemns in the extreme all forms of violence against women and children."

The statement said Mbeki was confident that the law enforcement authorities would deal with people who committed "such crimes as that committed in Kempton".

- SAPA