North West man in court for child rape, murder
A 26-year-old man is expected to appear in the Ganyesa Magistrates' Court in North West on Thursday for the rape and murder of a six-year-old child.
The child disappeared last Saturday after she allegedly got out of the vehicle she was travelling in with her mother and other passengers when the mother stopped to purchase liquor at a tavern in Morokweng village.
It's alleged that the mother returned but only noticed that the child was missing after the car had driven off.
"The mother came back alone after a few minutes and entered the vehicle, which drove off. She suddenly stopped the vehicle after realising that the child was missing.
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"Although the car drove back to the tavern where the mother and other passengers searched for the child, that did not yield positive results," said North West police spokesperson Sabata Mokgwabone.
Police were called after community members discovered the lifeless body of the child the next day.
"The girl's half-naked body was found at the entrance of a pit latrine, and a case of murder was opened. The relentless efforts of the dedicated [law enforcement] team led to the identification and subsequent arrest of the suspect."
Acting North West police commissioner Patrick Asaneng has attributed the incident to what he says is the moral decay associated with the harmful consumption of alcohol.
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