Mpumalanga teen drugged, raped and dumped in bush next to high school

Mpumalanga police are investigating a case in which a 13-year-old girl was drugged, raped and dumped in a bush in Saselani Trust in Bushbuckridge.

The incident occurred on 6 June.

According to the police, the girl woke up and found that she had been dumped in a bush, close to a local high school and had been undressed. She was offered shelter at a nearby house and reported the matter to the police.

Police said the girl had been walking along a road after visiting her relatives, when two men in a red Toyota Tazz approached her.

“The men stopped the car and asked where she was coming from, which she [told them],” provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said.

“They pointed at her with a firearm, ordered her to get into their car, then drove off, but along the way, they gave her a drink and she passed out after drinking it,” Hlathi added.

Raped

After a doctor examined her, it was confirmed that she had been raped.

Mpumalanga police commissioner Lieutenant General Mondli Zuma has called for the swift arrest of the two men who raped the girl during Child Protection Week and Youth Month.

“These heartless suspects continue to prey on children regardless of hefty sentences that are being handed down to them by our courts,” Zuma said in a statement.

“We are making a plea to the public to join hands with us in addressing this stubborn challenge, especially now that restrictions have been relaxed for the faith-based organisations to continue to revive the moral fibre of our society which appears to have degenerated,” he added.

Police called on anyone who has information that may lead to the apprehension of the men to contact Sergeant Tsepo Makwela on 072 613 2576.

Members of the public can also call Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or send a tip-off on the My SAPS app on a smartphone. Information can be given anonymously.

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