Mbabane – The High Court has granted bail of E50,000 to Mthokozisi Menzi Nyamane, who is facing a rape charge involving a 15-year-old girl.
Nyamane, 18, was granted bail by the High Court on Wednesday, with the court ordering him to pay E3,000 in cash as surety. The bail conditions were read and explained to him, and he confirmed that he understood them.
He is charged with contravening Section 3(1), read with Sections 3(3)(c) and 3(9)(b) of the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Act of 2018.
According to the charge sheet, the alleged offence occurred on or about May 2, 2026, at Macembeni in the Hhohho Region. The Crown alleges that Nyamane unlawfully and intentionally had sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old girl.
The charge is accompanied by aggravating circumstances, with the Crown alleging that the complainant suffered physical and lifelong mental trauma and was a minor incapable of consenting to sexual intercourse.
In his bail application, Nyamane denied the allegations and stated that he had never had sexual intercourse with the complainant.
He claimed that the case was based on a statement allegedly made by another man, D-Man Mazibuko, who had previously been charged with a similar offence.
Nyamane told the court that he had shared a house with Mazibuko at Macembeni while working as a security guard at Pigg’s Peak Government Hospital. He said he knew the complainant through Mazibuko, whom he alleged had been in a love relationship with the girl.
He further stated that his relationship with Mazibuko later became hostile, resulting in him moving out of the house and relocating to Malanda, where he lived with his aunt.
According to Nyamane, he later learnt that Mazibuko had been arrested and charged after allegedly having sexual intercourse with the complainant. He claimed that, before his own arrest, the complainant informed him that Mazibuko had implicated him in the alleged offence.
Nyamane also told the court that he had never been taken for a medical examination following his arrest.
In seeking bail, he argued that he was not a danger to the public, would not interfere with witnesses and had no intention of evading trial. He further stated that he had no ties outside Eswatini and had never been convicted of an offence.
Nyamane also told the court that he suffered from a sensitive skin condition requiring regular medical attention. He said his continued detention had also affected his employment as a security guard and his plans to resume his studies in 2027.
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