- Police are investigating a case of conspiracy to commit rape after voice notes of a ward councillor candidate in Durban, discussing sex with minor girls, went viral.
- Wayne Solomon, the Ward 68 candidate for African Democratic Change has been suspended by his party, pending the outcome of an inquiry.
- Party leader Visvin Reddy said the person who recorded Solomon was an alleged drug fiend and that the recordings were seemingly a bid to extort money from him.
Police are investigating a case of conspiracy to commit rape after WhatsApp voice notes in which a Durban ward councillor candidate discusses sexual acts with minor girls, aged 6, 9 and 16, went viral on social media.
The African Democratic Change (ADeC) party suspended its Ward 68 candidate, Wayne Solomon, pending an inquiry into the two voice notes in which he and another woman allegedly arranged sex with a 6-year-old, 9-year-old and 16-year-old. The party said it would also be guided by the police investigation.
Solomon strongly denied committing any criminal conduct and said he was trying to entrap the woman because he believed she was abusive towards the minors. The woman allegedly made the recording, which Solomon claimed she used to try to extort R10 000 from him.
He has since lodged his own complaints with the police.
READ HERE | Boy tied up in dungeon sexually abused by strangers and raped by mom, stepfather, court hears
In the voice notes, Solomon spoke to the woman who was arranging a meeting with young children so that both of them could have sex and perform sexual acts with them.
In one of the voice notes, Solomon, in graphic detail, described a sex act he would perform on the 6-year-old. He voiced concern that the children could tell others and allegedly wanted to use dagga to blackmail them.
"Let's get them goofed and see how far they go. The 9-year-old is better, you check. Are they game these children? We need to blackmail them and have something on them. We need to tell them: 'Hey, you're smoking zol. We are going to tell your mother and father,'" he said in the voice note.
He was concerned about hurting the 6-year-old. A 9-year-old would be "more flexible", he added.
Police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele said Wentworth police were investigating a case of conspiracy to commit rape "after voice notes [were] circulating on social media over the weekend".
"Two people were heard conspiring to commit a rape on three minors. The docket was transferred to Brighton Beach FCS Unit for further investigation."
Meanwhile, Solomon opened a defamation of character and intimidation case, also at the Wentworth police station.
"The complainant alleged that he received death threats after voice notes were circulating on social media. The matter is still under investigation," Mbele said.
Solomon speaks
Speaking to News24 on Tuesday afternoon after opening the case, Solomon denied that he ever abused or harmed any children. He also denied wanting to hurt the children on the day in question.
READ | Boy allegedly raped by mother would not make false claims against her, says State
He said it was part of a setup against the woman and claimed she abused the two younger children who were her nieces. Authorities could not immediately verify his claim.
Solomon said he was leaving his home when he overheard the woman on the phone with someone else, discussing the children and sex with them. After a brief discussion, the two got into Solomon's car to go to the children:
Solomon, however, never made it to the house and never saw the children.
"She never gave me the information. I felt like she was pushing me off and not trusting me. That's when I said I've done this before, take me to the house. I said you take it easy and relax. I was saying it just to get the conversation going to try to convince her [to trust me].
"I was not thinking clearly at the time. I just wanted to get to the house, get to the kids and call the cops."
Solomon said he was a staple in the community and never did anything wrong or committed any crimes:
When asked why he never went to the police, Solomon said it was a time crunch to get to the children and that he could not go to the authorities without proof.
"I didn't have time to go to police. I wanted to go with her, get to the place and then alert the cops. You can't call the cops and say maybe we are going to find two kids. You can't tell the cops [because] you think she is going to do something. You need hard proof."
Suspended, pending and inquiry
ADeC leader Visvin Reddy said the party had already suspended Solomon, pending the outcome of an internal inquiry, but added that when the party spoke to Solomon, he alleged that he was trying to entrap the woman.
Adriaan Basson | The crisis of sexual predators moonlighting as teachers
Reddy said Solomon alleged that she was a known drug fiend.
"We could not get hold of him, so I suspended him, pending the outcome of an inquiry. While nothing may have happened, the implication of sex with children comes into play and is not tolerated. An act of sharing that note is also a criminal offence.
"He (Solomon) came back and reported that he was trying to get the woman to show him where the children are. He said she is an addict and he wanted to know where the place was and report it to the police."
His party claimed the entire incident was seemingly a bid to extort R10 000 from him.
Reddy added that Solomon was making good political inroads in the community - something more prominent political parties were threatened by.
"During the unrest we assisted him with giving people food and giving people Covid-19 packs etc. He has become a threat to opposition parties in the area because he gained considerable support."
We want to hear your views on the news. Subscribe to News24 to be part of the conversation in the comments section of this article.
