A Nelson Mandela Bay doctor, arrested for the alleged rape of a teenager, may face additional charges.
Appearing briefly in the Kariega magistrate’s court on Wednesday, the 56-year-old state doctor came across calm as he folded his hands behind his back.
He cannot be named until he has formally pleaded to the charge.
The matter had been set down for a formal bail application, however defence attorney Andre Dorfling said it had come to their attention that additional counts might be added to the charge sheet.
The man was arrested on Sunday after a teenage girl from Bayland informal settlement alleged that he lured her to a house and sexually assaulted her on February 1.
During a march held by the community on Monday, community members alleged that the 17-year-old was not his only victim.
Wednesday’s court hearing was not without drama as the matter was moved from one court to the next.
The case was finally called in the afternoon.
The uncertainty annoyed community members who had taken a bus from Bayland.
It is alleged that the teen was recruited by another girl in the neighbourhood.
The complainant’s distraught mom said she learnt about the alleged incident after she noticed her daughter acting in an unusual manner.
She found out that her daughter had skipped school and was seen loitering around Zwide.
“I thought it was because she was embarrassed about repeating her grade.
“But I found out from one of the girls that she was part of a group with a new ‘friend’ — an older man who had money to [allegedly] buy them booze,” she told The Herald earlier this week.
She said she was shocked when she discovered that her daughter had planned to leave for Qonce with another woman in the area.
“I was told that they’re running away from [the accused],” she said.
Her daughter, she said, denied at first that she had been raped.
“Then the detective at the police station told me that she had finally opened up about what had [allegedly] happened.”
The case was provisionally postponed to Thursday ahead of a bail application.
The accused remains in custody.
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