Cape Town - The case of two men accused of raping a 10-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy has been postponed in the Beaufort West Magistrate's Court, Western Cape police said on Friday.
The accused, aged 17 and 20, were not asked to plead, Captain Malcolm Pojie said.
The matter was postponed until June 12 for them to secure legal representation and for their particulars to be verified.
They were arrested on Tuesday, hours after they allegedly committed the rapes.
On Wednesday, Pojie said three children, friends of the victims, alerted police to the crime.
“According to them, they were looking for wire in the veld to build cars (draad karre) when the suspects approached them with their dogs and threatened them.”
The three children managed to escape but the 10-year-old girl and 16-year-old boy were forced into a bushy area and raped.
When police arrived, the alleged rapists fled the scene but were later arrested in Prins Valley and Rustdene, respectively.
The girl was severely injured by the rape and was taken to hospital.
Pojie said the 17-year-old accused was being held at Huis Outeniqua, a secure care centre for children awaiting trial, while his co-accused was detained at Beaufort West Correctional Facility. - Sapa