Mafeking | Thursday
NINE rape cases in a week in the Molopo area have been reported with the victims including girls aged seven and eight, North West police said on Thursday.
Inspector Lesego Metsi said one of the victims was a seven-year-old girl, another was aged eight, and three other minors — one a 14-year-old mentally retarded girl.
Police have arrested three alleged rapists, while the hunt was on for 16 others.
The seven-year-old child had been left in the care of her grandmother while the mother went to church, said Metsi. On the mother’s return she found the child crying bitterly.
The local clinic referred the matter to the Mafikeng Provincial Hospital, where the examining doctor found not only that the seven-year-old had been raped but that it was not the first time it had happened.
The girl of eight was repeatedly raped at a Reivelo farm called Vergenoeg, allegedly by her 21-year-old uncle who has been arrested and is to appear in Vryburg District Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
The child’s ordeal was revealed when the alleged rapist sent her to get him a cigarette from one of the farm workers last Friday.
She told the workers she was afraid of her uncle who usually dragged her to the ground and did ”funny things” to her and that when she cried he would sjambok her.
The farm worker laid a charge with the police, and the child was taken to the hospital at Taung for medical examination.
”It is alleged there were also marks of a sjambok on her back,” said Metsi.
In Mothibistad a girl of 14, from Bothetheletsa village, told police she was alone at home about noon last Saturday when a man she identified came in and raped her. He has been arrested.
The third arrest was of a 20-year-old man who with two others allegedly gang-raped a 16-year-old girl from Itsoseng Zone 3. The girl told police she was raped at two different houses, one of them belonging to the parents of one of the alleged rapists.
”We are still looking for the other two,” said Metsi.
The hunt is also on for two men in Ganyesa. ”A girl of 15 alleges that she was gang-raped by two suspects who took her from the Disco Hall at Southey Village on Monday at 8pm.”
No arrests had been made and police investigations were continuing.
In Lomanyaneng a girl of 17 was found by her sister with her face swollen. The victim had been on her way home from visiting a friend when she struck with a blunt object and fell down unconscious.
After she regained consciousness two unidentified men assaulted and raped her, said Metsi. Police were investigating.
Police in Vryburg are hunting for eight men who allegedly gang-raped a 19-year-old woman near Huhudi Township. ”She was on her way back home after visiting a local tavern when the eight unknown men dragged her to a secluded area in the veld outside Vryburg where they took turns in raping her,” Metsi said.
”The victim has since been examined by a medical practitioner.”
The attack took place around 1am on Monday.
The rape of the 14-year-old girl also took place in Mothibistad.
Police said the girl has a speech problem. She was allegedly raped by her 16-year-old cousin in whose care she had been left.
When the guardian returned home she realised the girl had been raped.
”Police are investigating,” said Metsi. – Sapa