Michael Jantjies, previously embroiled in an online dating scam controversy, has been cleared of rape charges from a 2015 incident at the St Helena Bay Hotel.
Michael Jantjies: SCA throws out 2015 St Helena Bay Hotel rape case
This verdict was handed down by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) after Jantjies contested the allegations and his subsequent conviction.
Jantjies’ legal battle began after accusations surfaced from a woman he met on an online dating platform.
The pair’s relationship, which started in August 2014, took a dramatic turn when Jantjies reportedly swindled R50,000 from the woman, a 58-year-old teacher, under the pretext of a housing opportunity for her children.
The accusation of rape emerged following this event.
The woman, aged 50 at the time, claimed that Jantjies assaulted her at the St Helena Bay Hotel on 7 March 2015.
Speaking to the Daily Voice, at the time, the woman revealed she took on a friendship with Jantjies after she’d broken up with her longtime boyfriend.
The woman’s acquaintance with Jantjies involved frequent trips to visit friends in Vredenburg, where they’d stay at a backpackers and, according to the teacher, “sleep in separate beds.”
On the night of the alleged assault, however, the teacher claimed Jantjies forced himself onto her.
“I told him I wanted to leave, next thing I was flat on my stomach and I felt an excruciating pain. He always walked with a gun… I always felt very safe with him, until that time,” the woman claimed.
Jantjies, however, steadfastly denied these allegations, maintaining that he was not present at the hotel during the said weekend.
In the subsequent trial, it boiled down to a clash of narratives: the woman’s consistent account versus Jantjies’ firm denial and explanation of a fabricated accusation stemming from the financial scam.
The SCA expressed concerns about the investigation’s quality and the evidence presented, citing the Western Cape High Court’s failure to consider Jantjies’ perspective that the rape allegation was a retaliatory act following the scam.
Judge Keoagile Matojane of the SCA pointed out that there are no standard behavioural guidelines for sexual assault victims and that courts cannot draw inferences solely based on the time lapse between the alleged offence and its reporting.
The judge concluded that the state failed to substantiate the woman’s claims beyond a reasonable doubt, particularly the lack of evidence placing Jantjies at the hotel and the absence of testimony from the doctor who examined the woman.