The popular Siwelele FC football player, who was accused of rape by a Pretoria woman, has escaped going to jail by a whisker.
Daily Sun can exclusively reveal that the alleged rape victim withdrew the case against the footballer on Friday, 20 February.
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The PSL player has since returned to the Siwelele training camp, where he continues to ply his trade.
Sources close to the situation told Daily Sun the woman decided to withdraw the charges after close associates of the player allegedly approached her and pleaded with her to reconsider.
It’s alleged the associates warned the woman that the rape case could not only send the player to jail for a long time but also destroy his football career and his marriage.
“On Friday, the woman went to the police station, signed the necessary documents and submitted a withdrawal statement,” said the mole.
The withdrawal came while the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) was still considering whether the player should be criminally prosecuted, or not.
The case had been referred to the NPA by the SAPS Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit after it completed its investigation.
The footballer, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, allegedly accosted the woman in Sunnyside, Tshwane, in February and drove her to his marital home in Midrand, Gauteng, where the alleged rape took place.
After the incident, the woman returned to Tshwane and opened a rape case at the Pretoria Central Police Station.
A close associate of the victim, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed the woman later received a phone call from someone who allegedly identified herself as the footballer’s wife. The alleged wife asked her to explain what had happened.
After the victim detailed her ordeal, the alleged wife allegedly asked how much money she wanted in exchange for not reporting the matter to the police.
The victim allegedly refused, telling the caller she would not accept money because she was “not a sex worker” and that doing so would betray South Africa’s fight against gender-based violence, which President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared a national priority.
Siwelele General Manager Coltrain Munyai confirmed that the player has returned to training.
“I can confirm that the player is back at the training camp after he and his lawyers provided evidence that the case against him has been withdrawn,” he said.
Gauteng provincial police spokeswoman Tintswalo Sibeko confirmed that the alleged victim has withdrawn the case.
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“Police confirm that the case has been withdrawn after it was forwarded to the Senior Public Prosecutor (SPP) for a decision.”
“The withdrawal follows the complainant’s request to withdraw the case,” she said.
