Rustenburg - A 15-year-old girl was raped, and the alleged perpetrators attempted to apologise to her aunt for the incident, Limpopo police said on Thursday.
Spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said the 15-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped in November 2021 by three men aged 16, 21 and 31 while she was walking home in the evening in Tshilwavhusiku.
"The victim allegedly met a 31-year-old suspect who threatened her with a knife and took her to his home,” he said.
"Upon arrival, they reportedly found four men who were busy consuming crystal meth drugs at the house. The victim was subsequently raped by two suspects, including the owner of the house, while the other two men watched her ordeal,” Mojapelo said.
“Afterwards, a 31-year-old suspect took the victim to her home and attempted to apologise to her aunt about the rape incident.”
The police were called, and the man ran away to evade arrest and has been in hiding together with his accomplices until their arrest on Tuesday.
He said rape cases were taken over by the Makhado Family Violence Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) Unit for further investigations.
"While investigators attached to this Unit were busy probing these cases, information on the suspects was received, and a well-coordinated and intelligence-driven operation by the Makhado Crime Intelligence, the K9 and Makhado FCS detectives was conducted in the identified areas under Tshilwavhusiku policing area. This targeted operation led to the arrest of six suspects at different addresses in the area."
Limpopo provincial commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, said arrests like these would send a strong message that the police were more than determined to eradicate the gender based and femicide.
"We therefore call on our communities to continue working with the police in this fight," she said.
IOL