At least 10 children were raped in Mpumalanga in a space of four days, police reported on Saturday.
Inspector Leonard Hlathi said an eight-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her stepfather (21) at the Emjidini hostel near Barberton on Friday at 1pm.
Hlathi said police were called to the hostel after community members became suspicious when they saw the man taking the girl into the hostel. The girl then told the police she had been raped.
A doctor confirmed she was raped. Her mother was in hospital when the incident occurred.
Hlathi said another girl, aged five, was confirmed to have been raped in the province after a pre-school teacher noticed blood on her private parts.
The teacher notified the girl’s mother, who then opened a case of child rape. The alleged rapist has not been identified, said Hlathi.
He said another case involved a 12-year-old boy who was indecently assaulted by a 63-year-old man who has since been arrested.
Two girls, aged six and nine, and five 14-year-old girls were also reported to have been raped.
A total of seven men have been arrested in connection with the incidents. — Sapa