North West - A teenage girl was raped, allegedly by a pastor in Phokeng near Rustenburg, North West police said on Wednesday.
Brigadier Thulani Ngubane said the pastor, who was seconded to the parish for a week, had the 17-year-old and her friends help him clean the church premises in the evenings.
On Monday morning, the 29-year-old pastor offered her a ride to school.
“Unsuspicious, the young girl accepted the pastor's offer. Instead of driving to school the suspect turned to the nearby bushes where he allegedly raped the victim.”
Ngubane said residents saw the vehicle turning into the bushes with a young girl in school uniform and called the police.
Police arrived and allegedly found the pastor sexually assaulting the girl. He was arrested and charged with rape. He was expected to appear in the Bafokeng Magistrate's Court in Tlhabane on Wednesday.
North West premier Thandi Modise called for united action against rape and for greater efforts to protect women and children against sexual offences.
In a statement she said it was made even worse when the accused were supposed to offer counselling to victims of sexual offences.
Modise also condemned the rape of a seven-year-old girl in Ganyesa. She called on local residents to help the police with information that might lead to the arrest of the perpetrator.
According to police, the child was raped while playing alone in a local park on Saturday. - Sapa