A serial rapist and chairperson of a community police forum in Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, charged with multiple rapes, has disclosed that he’s been HIV positive for more than 10 years.
Elias Sibande appeared in court on Thursday, where he submitted a statement in support of his bail application.
He is accused of raping four women, including a 16-year-old, and is also charged with two counts of kidnapping and three counts of robbery.
The case was postponed to August 28, whereafter it is expected to be transferred to the high court in Pretoria for a trial.
According to the docket, Sibande would allegedly accost his victims in the evening around 8.30pm and, at gunpoint, take them to a nearby veld, where he would force them to undress and then take pictures of them before raping them.
Before releasing his victims, he would threaten that if they told anyone about what he did, he would post their naked pictures on Facebook.
During his arrest, police discovered Sibande had a valid licence to possess a firearm, but when he was asked to produce the weapon, he alleged he no longer had it.
During his bail hearing, he told the court that he had lived with HIV since 2013. The decision on bail is expected when the trial resumes.
