A 14-YEAR-OLD girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by her stepfather on September 24, 2023, at Lulekani, outside of Phalaborwa in Mopani District, according to Limpopo police.
On Monday, September 25, the victim’s stepfather, 42, a Department of Correctional Services official, and the minor’s mother, 46, who allegedly supported the offender in committing the crime, were arrested at their house.
According to the police, the couple were arrested after the victim reported the matter to the police and a case of rape was opened and then transferred to the Phalaborwa Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offences Unit for further investigation.
It is alleged that when the victim refused to sleep with her stepfather, both suspects assaulted her and forcibly took her to the bedroom where the perpetrator raped her while her own mother pinned her down.
The pair made their first court appearance on Tuesday, September 26, and were remanded until they were each granted R2 000 bail when they appeared again before the Lulekani Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
Their case was postponed to November 24 for further investigations. It has been revealed that the man was charged with rape and the mother faces charges of having been an accomplice in the rape case.
The provincial commissioner of police in Limpopo, Lieutenant-General Thembi Hadebe, has condemned the incident, highlighting that children deserve to be protected by their parents.
“The alleged behaviour of the parents against their own child is very shameful and disturbing. Parents and guardians are tasked with the huge responsibility to raise their children in a respectful and responsible manner, so that they in turn grow to be responsible future parents. All the children deserve to be protected and never be abused by anyone, including their parents,” Hadebe said yesterday.