POLOKWANE – A 17-year-old Gr 11 learner from Polokwane appeared before the Polokwane Children’s Court on Monday and Tuesday on charges of rape and sexual assault for separate incidents.
According to police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, the foreign national teenager is a learner at a school in Dalmada and is accused of raping a Gr R learner (6) on August 7 while waiting in the vehicle of a teacher who was transporting them to their residence.
The suspect is also accused of asking another Gr R learner (6) to touch his genitals while going to drink water at the school in a separate incident.
“Both the victims reported the matter to their parents who later reported it to the school. Both cases were opened on August 23 and the accused was arrested on August 24 after he was handed in by his adopted mother. He was detained at the Polokwane Juvenile Center until his first appearance,” Ledwaba’s statement read.
Preliminary investigations also revealed that the boy’s adopted mother is a teacher at the school.
The suspect will next appear on September 10 to allow further investigations to take place.
The provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe has strongly condemned the alleged incidentsand called upon teachers and parents to look after their children and immediately report any suspicious abuse to the police without delay.
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