A FUN stroll to the local takeaway shop for bunny chows turned to horror on Monday, 1 January.
This as friends watched one of their own (13) being forcibly taken away by a 37-year-old neighbour in Sasolburg, Free State.
The teen girl and her friends had gone to buy bunny chows. But on their way back, the suspect who was standing at the gate of his home, suddenly grabbed the teen girl and forced her into his house. He then raped her.
The girl's family and neighbours rushed to the suspect’s house, but they were too late. They met the girl at the gate crying and bleeding.
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The girl's aunt alleged they asked the man what he'd done to the girl, and his response was that he thought she was old enough to sleep with him.
“When police arrived they asked me why I'd allowed her to wear clothes which revealed her underwear because that attracts men. Cops said I should never buy kids clothes which shows their underwear, or even short skirts," she alleged.
She was disappointed by the response she received from cops.
"I’m really hurt by what the police have said. Instead of dealing with the matter sensitively, they've added to the pain," she said.
The girl's father told the SunTeam that the suspect's family tried to pay their way out this situation.
"As they arrived at the scene, they met angry community members who wanted to beat up the suspect. They then asked if they could give me money to let the case go away, so their son wouldn't be arrested," alleged the dad.
He said the family showed no remorse for what their son had done.
"Instead, they were fighting community members to let their son go so he could get away before police arrived.
“I want that man to rot in jail for this, and for his family to be charged for trying to defeat the ends of justice," he said.
The dad said his daughter's life would never be the same again.
"I thought the family wasn't serious about trying to pay me off, but they repeated their offer again on Tuesday, 2 January after court," he alleged.
The suspect was denied bail, and the case was remanded to Monday, 8 January.
One of the community members, Masabata Mokoena, told Daily Sun they had a meeting as residents, and they agreed that even his family is no longer wanted in their township.
"We suspect the man has probably raped many other girls and his family always pays the victim's families not to report the cases. We're shocked by what cops said, telling them that they should stop allowing kids to wear clothes which show their underwear or bodies," she said.
Zamdela police spokeswoman Sergeant Josephine Rani confirmed that the suspect was arrested, and a case of rape is being investigated.
Rani said the district commissioner of Fezile Dabi, Major-General Moses Makubo, has taken note of the allegations made by the aunt. She requested further details regarding the allegations made so that an internal investigation could be launched.
She said so far, no such complaints were formally lodged.
"Police handle and treat all the victims of crime, especially those cases related to gender-based violence, with the respect they deserve. Our members are well trained to handle them," said Rani.
