A five year old girl was raped on Sunday while her mother was at church at Mbambamecisi in Nkowankowa outside Tzaneen.

The five year old stepped out of the church building during a church service and went missing.

The mother of the victim says she thought her daughter went to the toilet and would come back like she always did.

Read: TZANEEN: Another teenager ‘raped’, this time by a teacher

It is not clear where the girl was raped but it is suspected that the girl was picked up by a stranger or strangers who took her and raped her.

Community members found the distraught girl on the road and took her to the police station where the mother was informed about the incident.

Tzaneen Cluster Commander, Major Gen Maggy Mathebula, condemned the rape and urged parents to always be aware of their children’s whereabouts when attending functions.

Also read: UPDATE: ‘Rape doctor’ stays in custody, case remanded