Man accused of raping learner
An 18-year-old man was released on bail after being accused of raping a schoolgirl while house sitting for his mother over the long weekend.
|||Kimberley - An 18-year-old Kimberley man was released on bail of R1 000 in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday after being accused of raping a schoolgirl while house sitting for his mother over the long weekend.
While relatives of the accused believe that he was romantically involved with the complainant, the parents of the victim are demanding that he face the full extent of the law after their daughter told them on Sunday morning that she had been sexually assaulted.
The father of the 16-year-old victim indicated that his daughter, who is in Grade 11, would be returning to school this morning, saying on Tuesday that while she was still in a state of shock, she was coping admirably following her ordeal.
According to the father, his daughter left home with the accused on Saturday with his consent.
When they tried to contact her later that day, they realise that her phone had been switched off.
At about 9pm they contacted the police, who never responded to the call. The next morning, when the police eventually arrived, they went in search of their daughter.
The accused and the girl were spotted in a bakkie in Main Road. “She got out of the vehicle and as I approached to ask him what was going on, he sped off,” the father said.
According to the father, his daughter claimed that the accused raped her and stated that they were not romantically involved.
However, the mother of the accused said that her son and the complainant were in a romantic relationship, adding that whether he was found guilty or not, the charges were likely to have an adverse impact on him for the rest of his life.
Ahead of her son’s first appearance in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, she confirmed that the accused had been looking after her home while she was in Johannesburg for the long weekend.
“I was at church on Sunday morning when he called me to say that that he was being accused of rape. I told him to go home and wait there so that he would be easily found by the police.
“I am a single mother with three sons and have always taught them to treat women with respect. I have warned them to be cautious about the situations that they find themselves.
“This is a really tough time for us and the whole truth needs to come out. My son finished school last year. He might be 18 but to me he is still a child.”
Magistrate Kubashnie Padayachee released the accused on bail of R1 000 after the public prosecutor did not oppose the application.
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