A 36-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly raping his four-year-old niece in Malepetleke village in Mokopane, Limpopo.
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In a harrowing incident that has sent shockwaves through the Malepetleke village in Mokopane, Limpopo, a 36-year-old man was arrested for the alleged rape of his four-year-old niece.
“The victim's mother reported that she left her child at home with the suspect while she visited a nearby general dealer,” police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Thakeng said.
The police said the incident happened on Thursday afternoon, April 4, at around 5.40pm.
According to police reports, the child’s mother left her daughter in the care of her uncle when she took the short trip to a local spaza shop.
Upon returning home, she found her child in distress, crying in the suspect's bedroom — a discovery that led her to immediately suspect something happened.
After her alarming discovery, the mother wasted no time in seeking medical assistance for her daughter, where the rape was confirmed.
Thakeng said a case of rape opened at the Mahwelereng Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offences Unit.
He told IOL News that the police were dispatched to the area and confirmed that the suspect was arrested at home on the same day.
Meanwhile, Limpopo provincial commissioner of police, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, has publicly condemned the rising trend of violence against minors.
“Children should be safe in their homes,” she said.
Hadebe praised the mother's decisive actions, reinforcing the message that such acts, regardless of the relationship to the victim, must be reported to the police.
The suspect is scheduled to appear before the Mahwelereng Magistrate's Court on Monday, April 7.
Thakeng added that the police are continuing with investigations into the case.
In a separate incident in the province, the police launched a massive manhunt for an unidentified male suspect involved in the alleged rape of a 16-year-old girl on her way to school in the Hlanganani precinct.
The victim was approached at gunpoint by a man wearing a bulletproof vest on March 3, 2025.
Authorities are appealing for information to aid in the search for the suspect.
“The police are urging anyone with information to contact Colonel Thomson Manganye at 0823199889, or contact Crime Stop at 08600 10111, their nearest police station, or use MySAPSapp,” the police said in a statement.
simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za
IOL News