A 35-year-old man will appear in the Thabamoopo Magistrate’s Court in Limpopo soon, in connection with the rape of a five-year-old girl.

Polokwane Review reports that Limpopo police spokesperson, Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, says the man was arrested yesterday afternoon in Mafefe Village in the Malipsdrift policing precinct outside Lebowakgomo.

He says that between January and March, the suspect allegedly raped the child after picking her up from school.

Ledwaba says the suspect would drop off other children and instead of taking the victim home, would rape her in the vehicle.

“The suspect threatened the child not to report the incident, but she disclosed to her grandmother over the Easter weekend,” he says.

A case of rape was opened and transferred to the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit for investigation, before the suspect was arrested.

Acting provincial police commissioner Major General Samuel Manala says innocent children continue to be tormented by heartless criminals.

“We urge parents and guardians to keep supporting their children when they report abuse so that the perpetrators can be arrested and held accountable for their horrendous actions.”

Meanwhile, Education MEC Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya has cautioned parents to conduct background checks on people they hire to transport their children to school.

“It is a serious concern that people who are trusted to transport learners to school prey on them to advance their sexual desires. Parents must ensure that private scholar transporters are properly vetted and that they have no previous criminal records, especially of a sexual nature,” she says.

The MEC is confident that justice will prevail and the perpetrator will be convicted.

The department’s media liaison officer, Matome Taueatsoala, says the department dispatched a social worker to support the learner.

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