KABOKWENI – A 54-year-old man accused of raping his lover’s grandchild will spend his second Christmas in jail after his case was postponed to March next year by the Nelspruit Magistrate’s is Court on Monday.

The accused was arrested last year October for allegedly raping his 75-year-old girlfriend’s grandchild repeatedly for a year. He will be remanded in police custody.

During a court hearing on September 29, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) issued a warrant of arrest for the grandmother who failed to take the victim, a 13-year-old grade-seven pupil to court. However, she escaped arrest following the NPA’s decision to issue an indemnity in stead. Although the grandmother was let off the hook, her woes are not over.

A local home-based caregiver, Ms Adelaide Ngema, who had been working on the case, told Mpumalanga News that she was filing a complaint report to the Department of Social Services against the grandmother. According to Ngema, she was allegedly squandering her two orphaned grandchildren’s money.

“She has been seen with a new boyfriend who drinks with her. We are concerned about the safety and well-being of the children,” she said.

Ngema also criticised local social development officials for failing to act promptly on the matter.
“I have complained about the gogo to the social workers before, but nothing much has happened. I hope that this time there will be a difference,” she concluded.