Kimberley - A 20-year-old man who was caught raping a 6-year-old child inside a shebeen toilet in Lerato Park became the victim of mob justice over the weekend
The girl had apparently gone to the shebeen to look for her mother on Saturday afternoon at about 4pm when the man allegedly dragged her into the toilet and raped her.
A shebeen patron, who said she was involved in administering mob justice, said on Sunday that it was the only effective deterrent.
“We will not allow these evil deeds to take place in our community. The man was almost beaten to death.”
Kedibone Fish, who found the alleged rapist, indicated that she decided to call the shebeen owner after standing in the queue outside the toilet for a long time on Saturday.
The shebeen owner hurried the man, telling him to “finish his business” because he was holding up the queue.
“No one knew what was happening because everyone was inside the shebeen and the music was blaring in the background,” the shebeen owner, who preferred not to be named, said.
He explained that he had to force open the zinc door after asking the man what was taking him so long.
“I peered through the opening and saw that the man was sitting on the toilet with his pants around his ankles. I heard what I thought was a woman’s voice and discovered that there was a small girl inside.
“I asked him what he was doing with her. By the time we discovered the child, she was already dressed and appeared to be in shock.”
He added that while the suspect was not a patron at his shebeen, he appeared to be under the influence of alcohol.
“Had we found the child at a later stage, the damage could have been much worse. We know the girl because her mother visits the shebeen and they stay in the vicinity.”
He stated that a police van that was patrolling the area was flagged down in order to arrest the man.
“Rogue elements like him are not welcome here because he will give my business a bad name. I do noit allow children inside the shebeen or serve alcohol to minors.”
He indicated that the shebeen was his only source of income which enabled him to support his elderly and sickly mother.
Police spokesman, Lieutenant Olebogeng Tawana, said the Galeshewe Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit was investigating the rape of the six-year-old girl.
He also said that a 20-year-old man, who was arrested on the scene on Saturday, would appear in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court on Monday on a charge of rape.
Community members called for the establishment of a mobile police station or that police patrols be carried out on a 24-hour basis due to the spike in violent crimes in Lerato Park.
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