A suspended ANC councillor who is accused of raping two young boys has been denied bail by the Orkney Magistrates Court today. Sepale (43) who works at the Matlosana Local Municipality in North West. He is facing 11 charges including two for statutory rape, three for violation of a child's consent, four for rape, one for sexual intimidation and one for manufacturing pornographic material.

The matter has been postponed to the 17th of January 2024, for the first appearance at the Regional Court. Northwest NPA spokesperson Henry Mamotlhame said although the state is ready to proceed with the trial it may add other charges when the matter goes to a higher court. "His court appearance emanates from a report by the police indicating that the Klerksdorp Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit, was investigating a case of crimen injuria, and two separate counts of statutory rape, after they were reported at Kanana police station, respectively. In one of the cases, the suspect allegedly shared nude pictures with the complainant, in the second and separate case, but involving the same suspect." Mamotlhame explained that two counts of statutory rape were laid on Saturday, 06 May, by the parents of two boys aged 15 and 17. Sepale's alleged images and videos went viral on social media in May, in which he appears to be having sexual intercourse with a teenage boy. "He will remain in police custody until the completion of the case. The state welcomes the judgment, as it prepares for pretrial,"

When the ANC in North West learned about the incident, they immediately suspended his membership after they received a number of similar complaints about him. ANC spokesperson Tumelo Maruping said in a statement at the time: "Rising from the despicable behaviour, the ANC has suspended his membership with immediate effect and therefore he will not be allowed to participate in the movement. This type of behaviour goes against our values and commitment to building a cohesive society in which all people are treated with respect and dignity. We will therefore not stand idle when such tendencies rear their ugly face. We will act immediately and swiftly to root out such behaviour."