Police in Limpopo are investigating two separate cases of the rape of minors.
In the first incident, a three-year-old girl was allegedly raped by an unknown suspect at her home in Gavaza village outside Tzaneen.
Police say the incident happened on Friday night when the child was home alone.
In a separate case, a fifteen-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a 29-year-old man while she was sleeping at her boyfriend’s home in Northam Block 7.
Police spokesperson Malesela Ledwaba says the suspect has been arrested and will appear in court soon.
Ledwaba has advised caregivers to keep an eye on minor children.
“A three-year-old was allegedly raped by an unknown [man] at Gavaza village outside Tzaneen. It is reported that the victim was left home alone and that when the mother came back and tried to bath her, she complained about pains in her genitals.”
“The victim was taken to a nearby hospital and the results came back positive to prove penetration. The police FCS unit has launched a manhunt for the suspect,” says Ledwaba.
Zeerust community takes a stand against statutory rape
Meanwhile, the community of Zeerust in the North West is taking a stand against statutory rape.
Raising awareness about the issue, concerned citizens have been advocating for stricter enforcement of laws surrounding statutory rape.
They believe that the issue is prevalent in the community and needs to be addressed more aggressively.
Furthermore, the community has voiced their dissatisfaction with the court system in Zeerust, stating that it is not victim-friendly.
A concerned community member, Portia Pitso, says she observed a child at a ceremony who appeared unwell. When she approached the child and inquired what was wrong, the child disclosed that her grandfather was touching her private parts.
An illustration convinced her that the grandfather had sexually assaulted the child. Pitso reported the incident to police, and a case was opened. However, she is disappointed that the case was dismissed because of insufficient evidence.
“I took the child, checked her and noticed that she had blood on her private part. After checking her, I asked her what happened, and she told me that her grandfather does nasty things to her. I asked her to explain what she meant by nasty things, even though I already knew, I wanted her to confirm it,” she explains.
-Additional reporting by Tsholofelo Mogami
The video below reports on an alleged child rape incident:
