Willowvale - Willowvale police have arrested a 22-year-old man for allegedly raping a four-year-old girl, Eastern Cape police said on Saturday.
It was alleged that the suspect went to the homestead of the victim at about 3pm on Thursday at Mhlanga locality, Nqabara village, Willowvale, Captain Jackson Manatha said.
"The suspect requested mealies from the grandmother of the victim. He was given the mealies and walked to a shack within the home of the victim to braai the mealies. The four-year-old toddler went to the same shack where the suspect was. After some time, the granny went to the same shack and found the victim naked and the suspect half-naked."
The grandmother raised the alarm and community members responded. The suspect took to his heels, but was chased and caught. He was subsequently handed over to Willowvale police who arrested him and charged him with rape. The suspect would appear in the Willowvale Magistrate’s Court on Monday on a rape charge, Manatha said.
Butterworth policing cluster commander Brigadier Ngangema Xakavu condemned the alleged rape of the toddler, and congratulated the community of Nqabara village for their assistance in catching the suspect and not taking the law into their own hands.