A 26-year-old taxi driver has been arrested for the statutory rape of a 15-year-old girl who was missing for three days.
But the family of the Hanover Park man says the girl lied to him when she told him she was 18-years-old.
They are now preparing to sue the girl’s family for defamation of character.
The man can’t be identified until he has appeared in court.
Western Cape Gangwatch posted on Facebook page that the girl was being sought after she went missing on Friday.
On Sunday, the teen, who is also from Hanover Park, responded to comments, saying she “was safe and with friends”.
“I was found around 2 this morning and I’m safe,” she posted.
“The reason why I’m not mentioning who I was with is because it’ll give them a bad name.”
In a private chat on Facebook, the girl asked one of the driver’s friends for his number.
The person responds: “U wanna n**i agen with them. Idh (I don’t have) none of thr numbers.(sic)”
She replies: No, (name of driver) gou cumed in me last night. Idw (I don’t want) my mense to moer(driver) because that’s what they’re planning.
“He’s gonna get in his moer and I’m not gonna allow it because I might be pregnant.(sic)”
MESSY: The 15-year-old girl got involved with a driver at the Hanover Park taxi rank
Yesterday, the teen’s sister said they opened a case but would not comment further: “I am her sister and my mother opened the case. We do not want to say anything further.”
The Daily Voice also approached the driver’s family, who said they were upset that their son was accused of rape.
The driver has been working at the Hanover Park taxi rank since he was 18-years-old.
The man’s 64-year-old father says his son met the girl when he gave her a lift: “I am not bragging but my son is an attractive young man and people are jealous.
“My son told us he was with friends on Saturday night and they drove past Belgravia Road where this girl was hitchhiking.
“They let her into the van and that is where the friendship began and she said she was 18.
“On Sunday, her father was here and he said this is not the first time this child has left home.”
The driver’s mother, 61, says they will be suing the girl’s family: “This is slandering him. The one relative said to me, ‘ jou seun is a raper’.”
Meanwhile, the driver’s friends at the rank say they are devastated by his arrest.
“He is not that type of guy, yes, he is a ladies’ man but he would never do that,” one said.
SAPS’ Siyabulela Malo says the driver was arrested on a charge of statutory rape and will appear in Athlone court today.