The staff at daily newspaper Cape Times are in shock after a journalist was arrested for the alleged rape of a seven-year-old girl.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila confirmed that the accused appeared in the Wynberg Magistrate's Court on Tuesday.
He cannot be named until he has pleaded.
Cape Times editor Aneez Salie said the accused was immediately suspended after his arrest on Sunday.
"It's quite shocking. We are shocked to the core. By the way, we had no idea. Rape is an act of violence and he never displayed such tendencies," he told News24.
"In South Africa, every accused is innocent until proven guilty. But as a newspaper, it is our responsibility to act in the public's interest. The moment we found out, he was suspended. He will be terminated if proven guilty."
The Cape Times reported on Wednesday that the accused allegedly forcefully penetrated the child in Nyanga in 2014, according to the charge sheet.
He is expected to appear in the Wynberg Magistrate's Court again on October 1.