Rape charges against Mandela's grandson dropped

A South African court on Wednesday dropped “interim” prosecuting rape charges against a grandson of anti-apartheid icon and former president Nelson Mandela.

The man, 25, whose identity has been shelved is accused of raping a teen at the back of a Johannesburg bar.

The prosecution said that it was withdrawing its proceedings, and would wait for fresh evidence.

“We have obtained new information that require further investigation,” spokesman for the prosecution, Phindi Louw said.

The dismissal Louw said does not mean the alleged culprit was “off the hook”.

“The charges can be reinstated later, according to the progress of the investigation,” > Rape charges against Nelson Mandela's grandson provisionally withdrawn: https://t.co/90Amf7RlZL pic.twitter.com/h9H7ZdEB1G

— DRUM Magazine (@DrumMagazine) March 9, 2016

Counsel for the accused claims that the act was consensual and that the victim was 16 years old.

South African law prohibits sex with minors.

The grandson of Nelson Mandela was arrested in August 2015 and spent 10 days in jail before being released on bail.

The Mandela family has had issues with the law in recent times.

Mandla Mandela, the eldest grand-son of the former president, was convicted last year and fined 10,000 rand.