Key Points
- A 79 year old raped a 14 year old girl in mpumalanga
- The community came to the rescue of the victim by taking her to the hospital
- The offender appeared in court on tuesday.
An incident occured in Mpumalanga that involved the arrest of a 79 year old following allegations that he raped a 14-year-old girl, and this in turn has stirred a community outrage and intervention.
Details of the incident that led to community outrage
Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane said the incident occurred on March 30, 2025. The incident was narrated as this, the girl was playing outside with her siblings when the suspect allegedly lured her to his home and sexually assaulted her.
The incident quickly escalated after a vigilant community member received information about the incident and rushed to the suspect’s house in an attempt to rescue the girl. The community mobilized, when the man reportedly refused to open the door. Ndubane said “The community members then mobilised and went to the house in numbers,”.
“They then reportedly demanded that the suspect open the door, and during the confrontation, the community members assaulted the man.”Word quickly spread, reaching the victim’s mother and other community members.
“The police received an alert about the incident and went to the scene, where they took the man into custody,” said Ndubane.
The police rushed the young victim to the hospital, and they opened a case of rape. Meanwhile, authorities apprehended the man and charged him accordingly,” said Ndubane.
The suspect appeared at the Acornhoek Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
Concerns about rape and sexual offences
Provincial Commissioner of South African Police Service (SAPS) in Mpumalanga, Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi, condemned the incident and strongly expressed his concern stating that he has welcomed the arrest and raised a serious concern regarding incidents of rapes and sexual offences in the province.
