North West Premier Thandi Modise has expressed shock and called on the public to assist police trace a rapist whose tongue was bitten off by a 12-year-old Tlhabane girl he had abducted and repeatedly raped. Premier Modise commended the grade 7 girl for her courage after learning of her ordeal in “Daily Sun” newspaper on Friday.
“Though it served him right that the teenager bit off his tongue, the heartless criminal should be apprehended and removed from society. He should pay for the trauma and ordeal that he put the young girl through in his quest to satisfy his lust. As long as he is out there young girls and women are not safe,” stressed Premier Modise.
Modise called on police not to leave any stone unturned until the suspect who was recorded on close circuit television approaching the girls at Foro Spar Shopping Mall is behind bars.
The Premier warned women and girls not to accept lifts from strangers or leave their girl children no matter how young with male strangers given the increase in rape incidents.
According to the victim, the man had called her by name and said that he had been sent by her mother who is a police officer to take her to church. Instead of proceeding to church, the perpetrator took her to the bush, beat her with his fists and choked her with her braids.
He had raped repeatedly throughout the night until she passed out, gaining consciousness in the early hours of while he was raping her again. She eventually plucked up courage to bite his tongue when he put his tongue in his mouth to kiss her.
The unconscious young girl was found by a passer-by under a bridge after she had managed to crawl to the gravel road. Efforts by police to trace the suspect at Job Shimakana Tabane Provincial Hospital drew a blank as a person who had registered with a false name and address left the hospital before he could be attended to.
Enquiries:
Lesiba Moses Kgwele, Spokesperson
Tel: 018 388 3705
Cell: 083 629 1987
Fax: 018 388 3157
E-mail: LKgwele@gmail.com
