A Lotus River skollie and his friend will appear in the Wynberg Magistrates’ Court on Thursday for allegedly holding an 11-year-old girl hostage and raping her in a hokkie.
The distraught family say swift action by Grassy Park police led to the arrest of the two men after one of them was caught in bed with the girl.
Her 50-year-old ouma, who cannot be named to protect the girl’s identity, says the Grade 5 learner left the house just after 7pm on Monday.
“She goes to her friend just around the corner and always comes home. But after a couple of hours, she didn’t come home and I became worried and went to look for her,” she says.
“I told the neighbourhood watch and they called the police.”
Captain Ashley Petersen and his team rushed to the girl’s home where they took one of her photos and went searching for the child.
After receiving a tip-off that she was in the Riemvasmaak Informal Settlement, cops raided a house believed to a Six Bobs gang lair.
Station commander Colonel Dawood Laing says cops discovered the young girl sleeping next to one of the skollies and the men were immediately arrested.
“When questioned, the girl denied that anything had happened but when the suspects were questioned, the 24-year-old man admitted he had sex with the girl but claimed it was consensual sex,” says Laing.
“It appears his 21-year-old friend was present during the ordeal and so both of them were charged with rape because the girl is too young to consent. She later told officers that one of the men rukked her pants off and raped her.”
The girl’s ouma says she was taken to Victoria Hospital where doctors confirmed she had been raped.
“They told us they sent the stuff away for testing and we are waiting on the results,” the granny says.
“We don’t know how it came that she ended up at that house because men of that age never came here.
“We are giving her time because she is still traumatised.
“She told me she begged them to let her go but they refused and she was too scared to move so she just lay there.
"We are just happy she is safe and I must say the police reacted very quickly.”
Laing says the case has been transferred to the Wynberg Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit for further investigation.
“At this stage both suspects have been charged with rape and will appear in court on Thursday,” says the top cop.