ELIM – An alleged rapist (27) who raped a 5-year-old girl in daylight at Mpheni on Sunday, was arrested and taken to the Waterval SAPS by angry residents shortly after the ordeal.

According to Insp RA Masonto of the Waterval SAPS, the suspect found four kids playing on the street and sent three kids to look for the mother of the victim, who was at church. “We heard that the suspect bought the little girl a bottle of juice, picked her up and took her to the nearest bushes where he allegedly raped her.

“After seeing her child with the man, the mother checked her kid and discovered that she had been raped,” he said. Masonto said that the mother notified the community who then arrested the suspected and took him to the Waterval SAPS. He is expected to appear in court soon.

In another, separate incident, a 73-year-old visually impaired pensioner was repeatedly raped by an unknown man at her home at Elim last Friday. According to Insp Masonto, the unknown suspect broke the window, grabbed the pensioner by the throat and raped her from about 12:00 until 05:00 the next morning. He said that the victim, who stayed with her brother, sustained injuries on the throat and as she was traumatised by the ordeal. She was taken to Elim Hospital and later discharged.

“As the suspect is unknown and still at large, we are appealing to the community to assist us with information that can lead to the arrest of the rapist” he said. Masonto said that, in both cases, the Waterval police have already open rape cases.