NPA reopens sexual assault case against DJ Fresh and Euphonik

By Yasmine Jacobs | IOL |

The sexual assault case against former Radio 947 hosts DJ Fresh and Euphonik has been reopened.

City Press reported that the police and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) decided last month to pursue the case against the former radio hosts.

In January 2021, a woman in Pretoria accused the duo, real names Thato Sekwana and Themba Nkosi, of allegedly raping and drugging her 10 years ago.

In a Twitter post, she called for the two to acknowledge they had raped her, saying she was a virgin at the time of the incident. She said she had to take anxiety medication before she could speak about it on social media.

The woman, who cannot be named, publicly named them on Twitter and opened a case of sexual assault against them at the Sunnyside Police Station in Pretoria in January 2021.

These charges were dropped by the NPA on February 15, 2021, due to “insufficient evidence”.

“Upon perusal of all the available evidence in the docket, a decision not to prosecute was taken. There are no prospects of successful prosecution on the available evidence, because the evidence is insufficient,” NPA North Gauteng spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said at the time.

The woman’s legal representative, Brenda Madumise-Pajibo, confirmed to City Press that the police had informed her client that the case had been reopened. It is unclear at this stage why they had decided to reopen it in January this year.

“We’re waiting to hear the reason they’ve decided to reopen it. Remember that once the DJs announced on Twitter that the NPA had decided not to prosecute, we launched a formal dispute and grievance against the police. They then undertook to investigate what had transpired with the case,” Madumise-Pajibo reportedly said.

“We’ve been very consistent. We’ve also taken up this dispute with the public protector. We suspect that because the public protector is going to ask questions, the police have decided to say they’re reopening the case. However, they still haven’t responded to us.” IOL