By TDN

North West Premier Thandi Modise has condemned in the strongest terms possible the alleged rape of a three-year-old girl in Ipeleng, near Schweizer Reneke.

“When the scourge of sexual offences against women reaches infants, toddlers and young girls, every parent who has a child should be worried that the scourge has reached unacceptable level and proportion” said Premier Modise said in anger.

The Premier called for the alleged perpetrator not be granted bail and reiterated the call she had made earlier for the partnership between police, crime prevention structures, churches, faith-based organisations, women organisations, non-government organisations and other civil society organisations to be strengthened to combat the scourge of sexual offences against women and girl children.

Modise said that the spate of rape incidents that we have experienced in recent months particularly those involving victims that are known to perpetrators point to moral decay that needs urgent intervention as communities are increasingly intolerant of heartless perpetrators.

In appealing for the Ipeleng community to leave the matter to the courts for justice to be done, the Premier said the reintroduction of sexual offence courts and harsher sentences for perpetrators should give hope to communities that government wants to tackle the scourge

According to police, a 37-year-old man, who is the girl’s neighbor is alleged to have took her to a nearby shack where he raped her on Monday.

“Police were summoned to the scene after the community allegedly assaulted the suspect. The suspect was taken to the hospital with injuries and was under police guard,” Spokesperson for North West police, Captain Pelonomi Makau  said.

The man was reportedly discharged and detained on Tuesday and was expected to appear in the Schweizer Reneke Magistrate’s court on Thursday.-TDN

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