Grandpa arrested for rape, exploitation after trying to sell granddaughter
The man had apparently given the girl money in exchange for keeping quiet about her abuse.
LIMPOPO – A 65-year-old man has been arrested for the rape and attempted sexual exploitation of his granddaughter after she reportedly spoke out about her ongoing ordeal.
According to a statement issued by the Department of Social Development, the victim, from Mokgwathi village outside Ga-Kgapane, accused her grandfather of repeatedly raping her since 2018.
She further said that he had given her money to keep her from speaking out and she decided to speak out about what was happening after he attempted to sell her to two men for sexual purposes.
Police Spokesperson, Motlafel Mojapelo confirmed the incident and said that the victim alleged the rapes took place when her grandmother was not home.
He added that the child had informed a neighbour of her ordeal after her grandfather had apparently attempted to sell her to his friends by bringing in two other older men so they could also sexually abuse her.
“The frightened girl managed to escape and ran to a neighbour’s house for help. The police were called.”
An investigation followed and the suspect was arrested on Thursday, 30 July on a charge of rape. He is expected to appear in the Bolobedu Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 3 August.
Mojapelo added that the victim has been taken to the Victim Empowerment Center and the relevant stakeholders have already been engaged.
The MEC for Social Development, Nkakareng Rakgoale in the statement praised the girl, saying she took it upon herself to speak out and end her ordeal. “We continue to call on people who are in abusive situations to break the silence so that we can clamp down on incidents of Gender Based Violence (GBV).”
She added that social workers will visit the area to provide psycho-social support to the victim and her family.
Victims of gender-based violence can report these incidents to the police at 086 001 0111 or they can call the Department of Social Development’s National Command Support Center at 0800 428 428. They can alternatively contact social workers in their community.
“The continuing murder and rape of women and children in the province is an indication that perpetrators of these heinous acts have a total disregard of the law and deliberately undermine the human rights of the victims.”
She concluded that her department together with the Department of Transport and Community Safety are working to establish a Technical Committee, that will assist government in dealing with the attacks on women and children. The committee will include civil society and other relevant stakeholders.
