THE family of a 12-year-old girl is angry that her alleged rapist is still roaming free.
He was arrested on 17 November on suspicion of raping the girl from Phola, Mpumalanga.
The incident happened on the morning of 16 November when the girl was sent to buy bread at the suspect’s spaza shop.
According to her aunt, when her niece got there the suspect allegedly dragged her inside the shop and took off her panties.
“He covered her mouth with his hand and raped her. After raping her, he gave her money and told her not to tell anyone about what had happened,” she said.
She said they received a call from the girl’s school after she was seen splashing money on her friends. When she was asked where she got the money, she told her teacher what had happened.
“I received a call from the school and when I got there, I was told about what had happened and I rushed her to the clinic and followed all the right processes,” she said.
The family said, however, they were surprised to see the community celebrating the suspect’s release from jail on Monday.
“We did not expect he would be released. We do not understand how it happened and we feel like there is something that was not done right. When we ask, we are referred to different people who also leave us in the dark,” said the aunt.
Mpumalanga NPA spokeswoman Monica Nyuswa said the case was provisionally withdrawn because cops failed to present the suspect for his first court appearance within 48 hours, but he will be rearrested and appear in court again.
