Latest news with #ChildProtectionandSexualOffencesUnit
The South African
24-05-2025
- The South African
Suspect receives life imprisonment for raping minor
A suspect was sentenced to life imprisonment for raping a mentally challenged 15-year-old minor. The 42-year-old Papi Mokereretla was sentenced by the Bothaville Magistrate's Court. According to a police statement, Mokereretla lured the victim under the pretext of buying electricity while she was playing at a neighbour's house where he also resided. The victim was instructed to meet Mokereretla at a shop after jumping a back fence. 'As they walked, the complainant expressed unfamiliarity with the route, but Mokereretla insisted they continue.' 'The complainant was then led to a secluded area at the end of the location with trees and a ditch. The suspect forced her into the ditch, undressed her and proceeded to rape her,' read the police statement. Feeling scared and traumatised, the victim kept to herself and did not confide in her family. However, the following day at school, she confided in a friend who informed the principal about the incident. A case was opened with the Bothaville SAPS, leading to initial investigations. A multi-disciplinary team, including Sergeant Mmila Raleting from Welkom Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit, gathered evidence and the State, led by Prosecutor T. Lebitsa, presented a strong case that convicted Mokereretla. 'This conviction sends a clear message that crimes against vulnerable individuals, particularly children and those with disabilities, will be met with the full might of the law,' said SAPS. A man was sentenced to six years for sexually grooming his stepdaughter. The 38-year-old Bethlehem stepfather pleaded guilty to sexual grooming at the Bethlehem Magistrate's Court. According to a police statement, the victim's stepfather engaged in sexual grooming of the 14-year-old victim since she was 12 years old, between 2021 and 2023, at their residence in Bethlehem. Additionally, the suspect would allegedly force the victim to watch pornographic material. 'The 14-year-old victim experienced a change in behavior and was referred to a psychologist, where she disclosed the abuse, leading to the registration of a case while the suspect was in the United States of America,' read the police statement. In the six years imprisonment handed down to him, half of the sentence was suspended for five years. Let us know by leaving a comment below or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
20-05-2025
- IOL News
Investigation launched into alleged rape of six-year-old girl at KwaZulu-Natal school
The DA held a picket outside the Esikhaleni police station on Tuesday over what the party said was the slow response to the rape case of a six-year-old girl. Image: Supplied KwaZulu-Natal police are investigating the alleged rape of a six-year-old girl in the toilets of a primary school in Esikhaleni, outside Empangeni last month. SAPS spokesperson Captain Ntathu Ndlovu said that an investigation is underway. 'Empangeni Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit detectives are investigating a case of rape following an incident in which a six-year-old girl was allegedly raped at a school at Esikhaleni on 25 April 2025. Investigations into this matter are ongoing,' Ndlovu said. The KZN Department of Education has also acknowledged the incident. Department spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi said: 'Yes, we are aware of the matter and it's being attended to.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The incident comes after the public outrage around the alleged rape of a 7-year-old girl at a private school in Matatiele, Eastern Cape. The National Prosecuting Authority has recently announced that its Eastern Cape division had declined to prosecute the case. However the DA has criticised what it calls "institutional inaction" regarding the incident. DA provincial education spokesperson Sakhile Mngadi alleged that while the incident reportedly took place on April 25, the police only visited the school on Monday. Mngadi led a picket outside Esikhaleni SAPS on Tuesday, where a memorandum of demands was handed over, calling for urgent interventions. The picket was attended by civil society groups, local residents, and the victim's mother, who marched alongside DA leaders, demanding justice. 'The mother's presence today was a powerful reminder of the real human cost of government and police inaction. She should never have had to fight for something as basic as justice for her child,' said Mngadi. In its memorandum, the DA called for a transparent criminal investigation, immediate psychosocial support for the child and her family, a review of the school's safeguarding policies, and disciplinary action against anyone found culpable. The DA has also submitted a parliamentary question to KZN Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka demanding answers on whether a departmental investigation is underway and what support has been provided to the learner and her family. It has also asked for the school's history of safeguarding compliance and whether any previous disciplinary concerns were raised about staff or others linked to the school. The DA cited SAPS crime statistics for 2023/24, which revealed that more than 16,000 cases of child rape were reported nationwide, an average of 44 children raped per day, many of them under 10 years old. 'This is not just about one child, it's about a system that is failing all our children. Schools should be places of safety, not scenes of trauma,' said Mngadi, who also urged that the issue be treated as a national emergency. THE MERCURY
IOL News
16-05-2025
- IOL News
Mom, traditional healer arrested for allegedly setting boy fire trying to remove ‘Tokoloshe'
A woman and a traditional healer have been arrested after allegedly burning a child in a ritual attempt. A Free State mother and a traditional healer have been charged with attempted murder for pouring petrol on the woman's son and setting him alight. According to police, this was an attempt to perform a ritual meant to remove a tokoloshe. Tokoloshe is a mythical creature believed in South African tradition to be linked to witchcraft and misfortune. The mother, 39, and the traditional healer, 40, were arrested by the Ficksburg Family, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. Provincial spokesperson Warrant Officer Mmako Mophiring said the incident took place on January 4, 2025. Speaking about the incident, police said the 8-year-old boy who lives in Meqheleng near Ficksburg was falsely reported missing on the community social media. 'It was established that he was sick,' said Mophiring He added that the mother allegedly took her son to a prophet who said that the child was afflicted by a tokoloshi and instructed her to take him to a traditional healer. 'It is further alleged that petrol was poured on the child and he was set alight in an attempt to remove the tokoloshe,' Mophiring. The boy suffered severe burns and was rushed to a local hospital. 'He was further referred to another hospital in Bloemfontein and discharged on April 29, 2025.' Mophiring said the matter was hidden until a community member found the truth and reported the case to the police. 'On May 14, 2025, the mother and traditional leader were arrested and charged with attempted murder and child neglect and expected to appear before the Ficksburg Magistrate court on Friday, 16 May 2025,' Mophiring said. IOL News
The Citizen
02-05-2025
- The Citizen
North West mother in court for allegedly pouring acid over daughter's (14) face
A woman (47) who allegedly poured acid over her 14-year-old daughter's face on April 22 appeared in the Molopo Magistrates' Court in Mmabatho, in the North West, on Tuesday, on charges of attempted murder and child neglect. Potchefstroom Herald reports that the case was postponed until Tuesday for a formal bail application. According to Colonel Adéle Myburgh, provincial police spokesperson, police initially received a call from the mother who informed the police that her 14-year-old daughter had poured acid on herself and was admitted to a local hospital. Investigations by the Mmabatho Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit established that the mother arrived home at Majemantsho village in the early hours on April 22. She then asked her daughter to accompany her to an outside room, where she allegedly poured acid over her face. She took the teenager to a local hospital. 'The arrest of the mother is not solace and will definitely not erase the pain and trauma that the child has been subjected to by a mother, who is supposed to be a guardian, provider and protector,' says acting provincial police commissioner, Major General Patrick Asaneng. 'This incident requires the active involvement and collective responsibility of government and civil society in dealing with the precipitating and predisposing causes of social fabric crimes against children, women, the elderly and vulnerable in society. 'No amount of punishment or sentence meted out to the suspect (mother), including medical care, will suffice. This innocent child is scarred for life physically, psychologically and emotionally,' he adds. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
25-04-2025
- The Citizen
Girl (5) raped: Limpopo scholar transport driver arrested
A 35-year-old man will appear in the Thabamoopo Magistrate's Court in Limpopo soon, in connection with the rape of a five-year-old girl. Polokwane Review reports that Limpopo police spokesperson, Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, says the man was arrested yesterday afternoon in Mafefe Village in the Malipsdrift policing precinct outside Lebowakgomo. He says that between January and March, the suspect allegedly raped the child after picking her up from school. Ledwaba says the suspect would drop off other children and instead of taking the victim home, would rape her in the vehicle. 'The suspect threatened the child not to report the incident, but she disclosed to her grandmother over the Easter weekend,' he says. A case of rape was opened and transferred to the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit for investigation, before the suspect was arrested. Acting provincial police commissioner Major General Samuel Manala says innocent children continue to be tormented by heartless criminals. 'We urge parents and guardians to keep supporting their children when they report abuse so that the perpetrators can be arrested and held accountable for their horrendous actions.' Meanwhile, Education MEC Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya has cautioned parents to conduct background checks on people they hire to transport their children to school. 'It is a serious concern that people who are trusted to transport learners to school prey on them to advance their sexual desires. Parents must ensure that private scholar transporters are properly vetted and that they have no previous criminal records, especially of a sexual nature,' she says. The MEC is confident that justice will prevail and the perpetrator will be convicted. The department's media liaison officer, Matome Taueatsoala, says the department dispatched a social worker to support the learner. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
