MOPANI – A 40-year-old resident of Shigalo Village in the Ndlazini area briefly appeared in the Saselemani periodical court earlier this week on six counts of rape. The incidents that led to his arrest took place at the Shikunduville settlement between last month and Monday this week.

According to the spokesperson of the police in the Mopani Area, Const Sylvia Hlungwani, it is alleged that the suspect used to lure young girls whose ages range from 8 to 12 who were sent to by their parents to the nearby shops and raped them inside the guard-room.

The statement indicates that each of the five victims was given an amount of R2 after the ordeal and ordered not to tell anyone. The incident that led to his arrest took place on Monday this week. According to the police statement, it is alleged that the victim’s mother caught the suspect red-handed while raping her daughter.

She immediately reported the matter to the police and the suspect was arrested shortly thereafter. The suspect was working as a security guard at the Shikunduville Unit at the time of his arrest. He was not asked to plead and the case was postponed to a later date.

* In a separate incident, the police are investigating another case of rape following an incident that took place at the Lulekani settlement where a 61-year-old woman was raped last Saturday morning. According to the police statement, the victim was on her way to the field when the incident took place.

While on the way, the rapist allegedly followed her and pushed her from behind, forcing her to fall down. He then produced a knife and threatened her with death if she screamed, before raping her. During the ordeal, the rapist heard the voices of people who were coming in their direction. He then fled into the bushes. No arrest had been made at the time of going to press.