Rape accused kwaito star refused bail

The Roodepoort Magistrates’ Court was packed with family, friends, fans and the media on 19 November to hear Magistrate Piet Kotze’s ruling on the bail application of kwaito artist Sipho Brickz Ndlovu, .

Throughout the proceedings the star looked tense, staring at the floor and only occasionally looking at the court translator. Halfway into the proceedings he asked permission to sit down as it was clear that he was taking strain.

As the magistrate read his ruling people kept flocking into the court until there was hardly room left to stand.

During recess the star could be seen praying with a young man before he was taken down to the cells again.

Magistrate Kotze went into depth regarding the fact that in Ndlovu’s affidavit he did not reveal the fact that he had a prior drug conviction and previously had been involved in an incident involving a girl that the police were called out to. He also emphasised witness statements that Ndlovu threatened to kill them and that he called his wife/ girlfriend from jail trying to convince her to drop the charges.

He also said that Ndlovu was “too sophisticated” not to have revealed the drug charges and therefore deemed it a blatant lie.

Magistrate Kotze also said that he found Ndlovu’s statement in his affidavit that “the state has a weak case” unsubstantiated.

Summarising his ruling he said that Ndlovu could not prove beyond doubt that he would neither influence nor intimidate witnesses and in failing to do so would be a flight risk.

Groans of dismay could be heard when the magistrate denied him bail and announced that the case would continue on 5 December.