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The NPA will challenge the acquittal of a Soweto scholar patroller on all counts leveled against him in the South Gauteng High Court sitting in the Palm Ridge Magistrate's Court on Wednesday.
"To ensure the prevalence of justice in our society, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) intends to appeal the judgment, based on the ground that the verdict was unreasonable and could not be validated by substantial evidence," the NPA’s Abram Mohlatole said in a statement on Thursday.
Johannes Molefe, 58, was arrested in October 2017. He was charged with three counts of rape and 11 of sexual assault, after he was accused of sexually harassing more than 80 girls - aged between five and 13 - at AB Xuma Primary School.
In handing down the judgment, acting Judge Peet Johnson said that the State failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
"The NPA is however displeased with the ruling and pleads with the parents of the children to be patient. It will then, therefore, study the case and tighten the preponderance of the evidence to ensure that the menace faces the full might of the law," NPA spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said in a statement on Thursday.
