A 70-year-old man, a Pastor in one of the local churches in Siyabuswa, was arrested today, 17 January 2014, for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl.
Information at police disposal revealed that the girl was taken to the pastor by his brother for prayers as she was not feeling well yesterday. The pastor asked her brother to leave her and collect her later. The suspect instructed the girl to undress so she could get into a “sauna” (isifutho). In the process, the suspect began to touch her and told the girl that anything that happens within the premises must not be told to anyone. The suspect then forcefully raped the girl.
The incident was reported to the police and the suspect was nabbed facing a charge of rape.
On a separate incident, a 55-year-old man from Embalenhle has been arrested yesterday for allegedly raping his biological daughter, who is now 32-years-old, on several occasions during 1997 and 1999.
The incident occurred in January 1997 while the victim was 16-years-old at the time, and residing at Bushbuckridge with her granny. It is alleged that the suspect went into the woman’s (his daughter) room while she was asleep during the night, covered her mouth, forcefully undressed and raped her. He continued to rape her until in 1999 when she became pregnant.
News broke out after they (woman and the father) had a quarrel recently and her mother discovered that her daughter had been abused, she then reported the matter to the police. The suspect was apprehended yesterday and escorted to Bushbuckridge where the incident took place for further investigation.
The suspects, on both incidents, will appear before the Mdutjane in Siyabuswa and Bushbuckridge Magistrates’ Courts respectively, on Monday, 20 January 2014.
The Provincial Commissioner of Mpumalanga has described the two incidents as very unfortunate and immoral as the suspects are supposed to be the guardian of these victims, instead they opted to be something else.