Grandmother arrested for alleged involvement in mentally challenged granddaughter’s rape

Acting Provincial Commissioner of the Limpopo SAPS Major General Jan Scheepers has encouraged and advised communities to strengthen safety for disabled and mentally challenged people, especially women, following separate incidents of rape in the Mokwakwaila and Namakgale policing areas, reports Polokwane Review.

In a statement released, police spokesperson Col Moatshe Ngoepe said two suspects, including the victim’s grandmother, were arrested after a 28-year-old woman was raped in the Mokwakwaila policing area, near Bolobedu, outside Tzaneen.

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Ngoepe explained that residents in a village within the area received a report that a middle-aged man was raping a 28-year-old mentally challenged woman in the nearby bushes. The community responded by managing to catch the suspect in action.

“They then summoned police whose initial investigations led to the arrest of the two suspects. Preliminary police investigations revealed that for the past three years, the victim’s grandmother had allegedly arranged with the suspect to sleep with the victim to impregnate her,” he said.

Meanwhile, police in Namakgale, outside Phalaborwa, are still hunting for a middle-aged man who raped a 27-year-old mentally challenged woman on May 10.

Ngoepe said the victim was walking home from a church service when she met an unknown man who asked her to accompany him to a house and on arrival, raped her.

“Anyone with information that can lead to the arrest of the suspect in the Namakgale incident is requested to contact Captain Richard Boshomane at 079 894 5501; the crime stop number 08 600 10111; the crime line SMS 32211 or the nearest police station,” he concluded.

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