Africa-Press – South-Africa. The 17-year-old accused of raping his 54-year-old aunt repeatedly over a period of six months in Mpumalanga has been released from police custody on a warning.
The accused, who cannot be named because he is a minor and related to the alleged victim, appeared in the Mbibane Magistrate’s Court on Monday, where he was granted “free bail.”
This effectively means he was released on a warning to appear in court. The case was then postponed to 4 October.
In a statement, police previously said the accused, who is still in school, raped his aunt multiple times in Molapomogale, Kameelpoort, near Vaalbank between April and September this year.
“The story was related to the police by the aunt who lost her patience as she could no longer handle the abuse anymore,” police spokesperson Colonel Donald Mdhluli said.
“The aunt alleges that the suspect started his evil deeds between April 2022 and early September 2022. It is further alleged that the victim warned him multiple times to stop his abuse, but the plea reportedly fell on deaf ears.”
“She, therefore, reported the matter to the authorities, and the case was assigned to the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit.”
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The accused was arrested on 22 September and made his first appearance in court the following day.
Following the arrest, Mpumalanga police commissioner Lieutenant-General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela raised concerns regarding rape cases that often went unreported.
“Women should break the silence on gender-based violence issues which has been engulfed our communities. This calls for all of us to commit ourselves in fighting this pandemic,” Manamela said.
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