Mpuma accused urged to get legal aid
A man accused of assaulting and raping a 54-year-old woman was warned against deciding to conduct his own defence when he appeared in the Tonga Magistrate's Court on Monday.
"You have to think twice, my son, about your decision to defend yourself," magistrate Snowy Masango told the 24-year-old, a Sapa correspondent reported.
The man, from Mbuzini village near the Swaziland and Mozambican borders, was not asked to plead.
He may not be named until he has pleaded.
"I am warning you that the offence you have committed is very serious and if found guilty you can spend the rest of your life in prison," Masango told him.
He was arrested on July 11, 2013, at his home in Mbuzini. He faces charges of rape and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
The accused was remanded in custody until April 4 when the DNA test results would be presented in court.
- Sapa