SIX men, who were accused of raping nine-month-old Baby Tshepang in Upington in the Northern Cape, are suing the state for wrongful arrest and job losses incurred during their four-month incarceration, their attorney confirmed on Friday. Attorney Albertus van Zyl said he was in the process of filing the lawsuit and was still calculating the amount of financial claim for each of his clients. He said it did not matter that only three of the claimants were employed at the time of the arrests; all were deserving of financial compensation on the grounds of unlawful arrest and infringement of human rights. ”After they (police) knew for sure that my clients were innocent as proved by the DNA tests and other evidence, the police still kept them in custody for a longer period,” Van Zyl said. He was confident the six had an ”excellent chance” of success in the lawsuit. The six, all residents of Louisvaleweg outside Upington where the rape took place, were arrested in October last year shortly after the baby was found raped in her grandmother’s house. They were released earlier this year after DNA test results could not link them to the crime. A 23-year old man has since been charged and has already appeared in court for the attack. He will appear in court again next Monday.- Sapa
Wednesday March 20, 2002