Mbombela - A doctor told the Nelspruit circuit of Pretoria's North Gauteng High Court on Wednesday that an eight-year-old girl was apparently raped after being murdered.
Dr Donald Mabunda was testifying in the case against Edgar Charles Mabunda, 31, from Timbavati Trust, who was arrested on August 8 last year following the murder of his girlfriend's daughter, Miranda Shongile Mayinga, on July 29, 2013.
The accused has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, rape and kidnapping, a Sapa correspondent reported.
The court heard that the girl was kidnapped from among other school children while walking to school on the morning of her murder.
She was dragged to a bush where she was raped and strangled.
The child's half-naked body was found lying on its back in the bushes in New Forest, with her socks tied around her neck.
The cause of death was strangulation leading to hypoxia.
The doctor, who is not related to the accused, said that if the rape happened prior to her death, there would have been blood, bruises or injuries on the deceased's body and legs.
Judge Peter Mabuse postponed the case to November 27.
Sapa