Limpopo teacher accused of raping 13-year-old pupil awaits bail decision

The fate of a 58-year-old former teacher accused of raping a 13-year-old student will be decided next Tuesday when the court rules on his bail application.

Both the defence and prosecution presented their closing arguments this week in a case that has shocked the Limpopo community.

The Mankweng Magistrate’s Court on Friday postponed the case to 29 April.

Accused teacher rapist ‘not a flight risk’

During court proceedings, the defence argued that the accused poses no flight risk, noting that he did not attempt to evade arrest.

The defence emphasised that the former educator had voluntarily resigned from his position at the school.

“At the age of 58, he has just let it go and there’s no doubt that there’s no chance for him ever being employed as a teacher because he’s almost reaching his retirement,” the defence attorney said.

“He has resigned to make the decision of the court to grant bail easier. He resigned also because he understands that he can’t be in the same place where the child is. Here is the applicant again, thinking not just for himself, but for the child on the other side,” the defence said.

The state countered forcefully, arguing that his resignation did not constitute an exceptional circumstance warranting bail.

Prosecutors expressed concern that the accused might interfere with witnesses should he be granted bail.

“He violated the rights of the child or the victim under section 98 of the constitution and other rights in the bill of rights,” the prosecutor argued.

“Now he wants to come before this court and tell the court that his rights are more important and they should be prioritised.

“His rights are not more important than the rights of the poor child that he has destroyed.”

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Rape allegations span several months

According to preliminary investigations, the 13-year-old female student was allegedly raped multiple times from November 2024 to 7 March 2025.

The case came to light on 27 March, when another teacher took the female student to her mother and informed her about the situation.

The Limpopo department of education confirmed receiving a resignation letter from the accused teacher, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the child victim.

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Arrest following provincial commissioner’s directive

The arrest came after Lieutenant-General Thembi Hadebe, the provincial commissioner of police, directed law enforcement to mobilise resources to track down the suspect.

Initially, the accused had pretended to be heading to the police station before driving away.

He claimed to be in Pretoria’s Hammanskraal when contacted, after which his phone was turned off.

Teacher apprehended and charged for rape

Police spokesperson Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba confirmed that the 58-year-old teacher was arrested on Monday afternoon, March 31, 2025, following extensive investigation by detectives from the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit.

The educator made his first appearance in the Mankweng Magistrate’s Court on 2 April 2025 facing charges of rape.

Hadebe welcomed the arrest, saying: “We will do everything to ensure that justice prevails for our young girl. We will never allow anyone to molest children under our watch. Our specialised FCS unit will ensure that we have a watertight case to ensure that justice prevails.”

She added that the South African Police Service remains “committed to protect the most vulnerable sector of our society against perpetrators of gender-based violence in this province. The FCS will continue to work closely with the social workers to ensure that the family and victim receive adequate psycho-social support.”

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