City Press reports on Sunday that Jennifer Ferguson has opened a case for rape against soccer boss Danny Jordaan, five months after publicly accusing him of allegedly sexually assaulting her in a hotel in Port Elizabeth 24 years ago.
The singer first made the allegations in a blog entry she posted in October 2017, giving sensitive and explicit details of the incident, which allegedly happened two decades ago.
Following the post, many women came out in support of Ferguson, and three other women came forward saying they were also victims of Jordaan's abuse.
In a statement sent to City Press Ferguson said her "initial intent had been to settle this matter outside of the process of legal prosecution".
"To this end, I offered Mr Jordaan the opportunity to engage with me in a mediative process outside of formal legal action. This offer sought to be consistent of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission [TRC] process. This TRC process acknowledged the common humanity and need for healing of both the victim and the perpetrator, and a place where one's mutual humanity can be revived. Despite this offer, he chose not to engage with me and denied the allegation through a media statement ... This decision has come out after many months of discussions, legal advice and deep personal consideration," she said.
Jordaan – who denies the allegation – has insisted since Ferguson made the accusation on Facebook in October 2017 that she lay a charge so that a court of law can determine the truth.
Jordaan did not respond to City Press request for comment about the rape charges due to a family bereavement at the time.