Mandela grandson not off the hook for rape, yet

Pretoria. Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Mbuso, is not off the hook yet despite the provisional withdrawal of rape charges against him on Wednesday.

South African prosecutors have said they have fresh information to help them proceed with the case for now.

Following news about the withdrawal, South Africans vented on social networks that this was the end of the case because Mbuso is a Mandela.

Prosecutor Nadine Nel made the request for the withdrawal on Wednesday as the State was awaiting psychiatric assessment reports and therefore could not proceed with the trial.

The 15-year-old who was allegedly raped by Mbuso had sought psychiatric help to cope with the trial.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said the move to strike the case off was in the best interests of the alleged teenage victim.

However, it added that further investigations would determine whether to reinstate the rape case against Mbuso Mandela.

The defendant allegedly raped the teenager at a restaurant in Greenside, Johannesburg, on August 7 last year. He was granted $500 bail after spending more than a week in jail.

In her affidavit, the victim claimed he forcefully kissed her, put his hands inside her pants, and raped her.

NPA provincial spokesperson Phindi Louw said the State needed more time for investigations after receiving the new information.

“Once we have decided to proceed with the prosecution, it simply means that notice will be given to the accused to appear in court again,” Ms Louw said.

This means the 25-year-old Mbuso will be free of any charges or bail conditions for the time being.

In previous court appearances, the main points of contention were whether the sex was consensual and whether the accused was led to believe the girl was 18-years-old.

In his defence, Mbuso has maintained the sex was consensual and that he had no idea she was a minor. He said the pub where they met did not allow entry to people under the age of 21. (NMG)