Disabled Girl, 15, Raped In Mogoditshane

Pini Bothoko | Monday January 14, 2019 13:04

Police confirmed they are hunting for a known family friend who allegedly visited the victim’s family on Saturday night and allegedly raped the girl, who has walking disabilities. Mogoditshane Police Station Commander, Superintendent Russ Letsebe told The Monitor that investigations into the matter were ongoing to locate the suspect, who was still at large by press time.

“The teenage girl said the man who is their family friend found her by the gate where she had just finished chatting with her friend who had just left minutes before,” Letsebe said.

“She said the man took her crutches and put them inside the boot of his car, lifted her up and took her inside the car driving off to the bush where he raped her.”

Letsebe said after the alleged rape, the suspect then drove back and wanted to drop her off before they got home, but she pleaded with him to take her back to her home.

“On arrival the duo found the girl’s father angrily looking for her. He got angry with the man, which led to an argument, but whilst quarrelling the suspect drove off. When questioned where they had gone, the disabled girl narrated the story to her father and they reported the matter to the police,” he said.

He said the police responded to the report and took her to clinic to be examined by a doctor who confirmed that indeed she was sexually assaulted.

“Police tried to locate the suspect to no avail, but the search is still ongoing. I am concerned about the escalating rape cases in this policing area.

“There is no weekend that goes by without recording two or three cases of rape here. It looks like this policing area continues to be a ‘ticking time bomb’ of rapists and worries me because even young girls are being raped,” the police boss said.

Letsebe added that they are also investigating another rape case in which a 14-year-old girl claims to have been sexually assaulted by a certain pastor at Ledumadumane location in Mogoditshane since October last year. “We received the report also on Saturday. 

The girl came in the company of her aunt to open the case. The teenage girl said they are renting a house in a yard where there is a church and alleges her mother has been forcing her to attend it,” Letsebe said. “She claims that when she refused to go to church, her mother chased her out of the yard and she went to seek refuge from her aunt.” The police boss said the girl’s aunt claims that the girl narrated to her the whole story how it all started and how she tried by all means to abscond from church.

“She claims the pastor started by inviting her and her young siblings to his house some time last year saying they should come and pray to the sick. Later she offered her a glass of wine and raped her,” Letsebe alleged.

“She claims since then the pastor has been sexually abusing her without anyone’s knowledge. She tried to avoid attending church sessions, but her mother kept on forcing her until she chased her out of home last Saturday.”

Letsebe said they have not yet arrested the suspect because investigations are ongoing.