PICTURE: INSTAGRAM/ DONELL MBELE
In the midst of Donelle Mbele’s case, who faces charges of two counts of rape; the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) of South Africa issued a statement titled :’Renowned actress’s son appears in court for raping his girlfriend.’
Recently the NPA has retracted and deleted the statement citing that it does not go with their core values of justice, accountability and transparency.
“We acknowledge that the manner in which the statement was crafted does not align with our high standards of professionalism and integrity. It reflected poor judgement that was unfortunately allowed to slip through the standard quality control measures to which we subject our media statements,” read the statement.
The NPA offered their humble apologies to Donell’s Mother, Sonia Mbele and the public.
“We sincerely and unreseverdly apologise for any harm or distress caused, particularly to the mother indirectly referred to in the statement, and to all members of the public in general.”
Retraction and Deletion of Media Statement Issued on Monday, 20 January 2025 pic.twitter.com/azwa8DGF4R
— NPASouthAfrica (@NPA_Prosecutes) January 22, 2025
Donell was recently released on a R1000 bail after appearing in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court. This is after his 17-year-old girlfriend registered the cases against him, after incidents that allegedly took place at his residence in December last year.
This was not Donell’s first run-in with the law, he was once accused of physically assaulting his then girlfriend, Reokeditswe. ZiMoja reported then that Donell had been charged with physical assault, and his ex-girlfriend, Reokeditswe, has been admitted to a Mental hospital. According to the publication, Reokeditswe’s family checked her into the facility for depression and anxiety.
Also see: Donell Mbele is dropped as potential cast on a reality show