The case against the suspended ANC councillor who is accused of sexual assault cases has been postponed by the Orkney Magistrates’ Court in the North West. Tebogo Sepale (43) appears in six leaked sex videos where he can be seen engaging in sexual acts with both men and women. The videos were leaked in April and the parents of some of the teenagers he was seen with in the videos opened statutory rape cases against him. Sepale was arrested four months ago and he has been remanded in custody since then.

APPLYING FOR BAIL

Sepale will make a formal bail application on 01 November this year. NPA North West spokesperson Henry Mamothame said that Sepale had previously registered an intention to apply for bail but opted to abandon it following consultations with his attorney. "The state was ready to propose a date for the matter to be transferred to a higher court for pretrial conferencing as investigations have been completed. The transfer will now await the completion of the bail application, which the state intends opposing," said Mamothame.

Sepale was suspended by the ruling party soon after his arrest in May. In a statement, the ANC in North West said they were shocked by the videos of one of it’s public representatives engaging in sexual acts. "We have also received a number of complaints against the said public representative from various women. We are also aware that one of his victims has opened a case against him with law enforcement agencies. Rising from this desperate behaviour, the ANC has suspended the membership of Tebogo Sepale with immediate effect and therefore he will not be allowed to participate in the movement. This suspension will continue until the outcomes of the disciplinary process," the statement said.

CHARGES

Mamothame said that Sepale is currently facing 11 charges, two for statutory rape, three for the violation of a child with consent, one for manufacturing pornographic material, four for rape and one for sexual intimidation. Mamothame further said that the state 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, two counts of statutory rape were laid on Saturday, 06 May 2023 by the parents of two boys aged 15 and 17. He will remain in police custody pending the outcome of his bail application," said Mamothame.