The accused South African National Defence Force (SANDF) officer – who is charged with attempted murder because he deliberately infected the complainant with HIV without her knowledge – appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court today. AfriForum is supporting her and her family. The accused already had legal representation at today’s court appearance, as well as what appeared to be six bodyguards. These “bodyguards” tried to intimidate an AfriForum employee, who had attempted to take pictures of the accused, into deleting these pictures.
“AfriForum wants to state unequivocally that we cannot be intimidated, especially not when it comes to our striving for justice. The family approached us to support them in prosecuting the accused and ensuring that he pays for his deeds – and we will continue doing this,” says Adv. Phyllis Vorster, Prosecutor at AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit.
The case was postponed to 16 September 2020 in order to provide the accused’s legal team with a copy of the dossier.
AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit became involved in the case in 2018 after a member of the media approached the Unit for support. After consultation with the prosecutor, the Unit learnt that the SANDF refused to provide the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) with the necessary information. The dossier is now complete after continued pressure from the Unit, and the NPA was able to prosecute the accused.