NELSPRUIT - The Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela has strongly condemned an incident in which a five year old girl was allegedly raped by a 35-year-old male suspect at Ludlow Trust near Thulamahashe in Bushbuckridge. The strange incident is said to have occurred on 15 March 2022.

According to the information, the suspect allegedly went to the girl's place of residence on the said day around 15h00 whilst her grandmother was still inside the house. It is further alleged that the suspect took her to the backyard of the house and lured her into a pigsty, which is no longer in use and forcefully raped her.

The incident was then reported to the police whereby an investigation was conducted by the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) at Acornhoek. The suspect was then arrested and charged for rape and he is due to appear in the Mhala Magistrate's Court on Friday, 8 March 2022 facing the said charges.

Source: South African Police Service