AN 18-YEAR-OLD MALE SUSPECT ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY RAPING A FELLOW LEARNER AT MOOKGO BLOCK 07 VILLAGE

MOOKGO BLOCK 07 VILLAGE: An 18-year-old pupil is expected to appear before Bolobedu Magistrate’s Court outside Tzaneen soon , on allegations that he raped a 14-year-old fellow learner on Saturday night, 17 February 2024 at Mookgo block 7 Village in Mokwakwaila policing area.

According to the information received from police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, the victim’s mother with the assistance of a male community member went out to look for the victim after she failed to return home. While passing a certain house, the pair heard someone screaming and they immediately entered the yard. They then peeped through the window and saw the suspect naked and the victim hysterically crying.

Ledwaba says the suspect fled the scene and the victim explained that she met the suspect on the street and he dragged her to his residence while assaulting her. Upon arrival, he repeatedly raped her.

Police opened a case of rape and immediately initiated the manhunt for the suspect. He was arrested shortly after the incident.

The Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe has expressed shock and said, the law must deal harshly with perpetrators of gender-based violence so that our children can be safe in the streets without fear of being violated.