Magistrate says Zanzou nightclub assault accused proved it was in the interests of justice to be released on bail
Magistrate Ernest Mbembele granted the 41-year-old Congolese asylum seeker R10,000 bail.
Zanzou nightclub in Pretoria. Picture: Katlego Jiyane/EWN
JOHANNESBURG - The magistrate who granted bail to the accused in the Zanzou night club assault matter has said he had proved that it was in the interest of justice to release him on bail.
Magistrate Ernest Mbembele granted the 41-year-old Congolese asylum seeker R10,000 bail.
The accused, who cannot be named as he is due for more identity parades, was arrested after videos showing young men being sexually violated at the Pretoria night club emerged.
When arguing for bail, he told the court that his wife and children needed him for financial support.
Mbembele said the factors he presented outweighed the gruesome nature of the crime he is accused of.
"His factors outweigh the fact that the offence is very gruesome, the risk of abscondment, the strength of the State's case and the fact that he fears for his life. It is my view that the accused managed to prove on a balance of probabilities that it is in the interest of justice that he be released on bail," said Mbembele.