Bobonong gripped by escalating rape incidents

CALISTUS KOLANTSHO
Correspondent | Friday November 5, 2010 00:00

He had to handle three cases in September and four in October, he says.

Mbikiwa says the cases seem to increase around this time of the year and that was the pattern last year. The police have also received a case in which a 12-year-old girl was raped in the village last week.

The victim was embarking from a vehicle that she was travelling in from the cattle post and a male passenger followed her, said Mbikiwa.

He said the assailant raped the young girl before disappearing and the police are still looking for him. He said it is hard to track him down because the victim is unable to identify him.

Mbikiwa said the police also received two cases in which girls claimed that their boyfriends raped them.

'My office is also investigating a case in which a woman was raped after being tricked. The suspect is alleged to have told his victim that he was shooting a music video and wanted her to be in it. He managed to convince her and took her home where he raped her. The video shoot was used as bait to trick the unsuspecting victim.Batswana, especially women must not allow themselves to be tricked,' he said.

He went on to say that the police are also handling another matter of attempted rape. Mbikiwa explained that passers-by who heard the woman screaming foiled the rape.

He noted that a 27-year-old suspect has been arrested. Mbikiwa pointed out that the police receive assault reports everyday.

'Assaults are common in drinking places and between spouses who have misunderstandings. People must get help if they problems in their relationships instead of resorting to violence,' he said. Mbikiwa also observed that house break-in cases are not as serious a problem because during the month of September, only five cases were reported.

Meanwhile, Mbikiwa said there was a road accident on Sunday along Sefophe-Bobonong road that claimed the life of one person. 

'The accident happened about four kilometres from Bobonong. The vehicle had four occupants and the other three were hospitalised. We are still investigating the cause of the accident,' he said.

He said motorists must be careful when using this road because it is full of livestock and it is not fenced. He noted that trees along the highway have grown tall.