A 72-hour mobilisation plan led to an arrest after a 91-year-old woman was raped at her Driekoppies home on Saturday, May 17, at around 22:00. The suspect was apprehended and detained by the Schoemansdal police on May 19.

A Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane, said the elderly woman alleged that she was raped by a neighbour’s son.

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“The victim’s daughter reportedly left for church at around 21:00 and ensured that all the doors were locked. At around 22:00, while the victim was sitting on her bed taking medication, a man entered her bedroom holding a knife. She recognised him as a neighbour’s son. When she tried to speak to him, he allegedly pushed her onto the bed and instructed her to keep quiet while threatening her with the knife. The suspect allegedly raped her and fled the scene through a window,” said Ndubane.

According to Ndubane, the woman told her daughter what had occurred as soon as she came home. “Upon inspection, the daughter discovered that the lounge window had been forcefully opened, indicating it to be the suspect’s point of entry. The victim was taken to hospital for medical treatment,” Ndubane added.

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The suspect is facing a rape charge and is expected to appear in court soon.