Pretoria – A 45-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly raping two minor girls, aged 11 and 13, after luring them to a hotel, Gauteng police said on Monday.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Mathapelo Peters said police in Sunnyside, Pretoria, responded to a rape complain of two minor girls at a hotel in Pretoria on Friday.
“It was reported that the suspect had earlier in the day taken the two minors from Lotus Gardens in Atteridgeville to a liquor outlet in Pretoria West and from there, the three headed to the hotel, where the suspect booked a room where he allegedly raped both victims,” said Peters.
“It has further been reported that the youngest victim managed to escape and alerted people who were in the hotel.
“Hotel security was alerted and police were called in and subsequently arrested the suspect, who was still in the hotel room.”
She said according to investigators from the SAPS Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit, the 45-year-old man was on Monday making his initial appearance in the Pretoria Regional Court.
“The investigators have at this stage been able to confirm that the suspect is a parolee after having served time for a previous rape case,” said Peters.
Acting Gauteng police commissioner Major-General Patricia Rampota has welcomed the arrest and urged the investigators to work closely with the prosecutors towards building a watertight case in the best interest of justice for the minor victims.
With the annual 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children Campaign kicking in this week, Rampota assured community members that the police were committed to upholding the rights of victims of gender-based and domestic violence and femicide and to prioritising the investigation of all crimes committed where women, children and other vulnerable people are victims.
"Our communities are encouraged to familiarise themselves with SAPS systems that are in place to ensure that the community receives optimum service delivery at all times, towards restoring public confidence in the service,” she said.
“The SAPS service complaints centre is accessible to the public to lodge complaints that can vary from poor service delivery regarding response time, investigations, police negligence, police misconduct and general complaints against the SAPS members."
Complaints at police stations may be lodged directly by visiting the stations’ community service centres.
The SAPS in Gauteng emphasised that where the station commander and district commissioner are unable to assist, the complaint may be escalated to the provincial office by calling 011 274 7786, 082 442 2000 or by sending an email to [email protected].
The 16 Days of Activism is a UN campaign which takes place annually from November 25 (International Day of No Violence Against Women) to December 10 (International Human Rights Day). Other key yearly commemorative days during this period include World Aids Day on December 1 and the International Day for Persons with Disabilities on December 3.
African News Agency