School Transport Driver Arrested for Alleged Rape of 5-Year-Old, Bail Hearing Set for April 18

• A 39-year-old school transport driver from Limpopo has been arrested for allegedly raping a 5-year-old girl
• The man threatened the child not to tell her parents what happened, but when she went home, she told her mother what had happened
• The driver is currently in custody awaiting a bail hearing scheduled for April 18th; the incident has left the community devastated

Trisha Pillay is a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg. Beginning her 13-year-long career at eNCA, she honed her reporting skills and coverage of crime and court cases, which she further developed at The Citizen newspaper, African News Network and Newzroom Afrika. Do you have a hard news story you would like to share? Email: trisha.pillay@briefly.co.za with CA in the subject line.

LIMPOPO - A 39-year-old scholar transporter in Limpopo has been arrested earlier this week following allegations of raping a five-year-old girl.

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School driver locked up

According to the Sowetan, the incident happened after the suspect picked up the child from school.

The alleged assault took place in Hlabine village in the Maake policing area. It's believed the suspect dropped off other children, parked his vehicle on the roadside, and allegedly assaulted the child inside.

Despite threats from the suspect, the child told her mother about the assault. Her family has opened a case of rape, and the matter has been transferred to the family violence, child protection, and sexual offences unit for investigation.

Bail hearing

The accused appeared before the Naphuno magistrate's court on Thursday, and he faces a charge of rape. The court postponed the matter to 18 April for a formal bail application.

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Limpopo education MEC Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya condemned the incident, emphasising the importance of parents vetting scholar transport drivers, particularly those not employed by the department for transporting children to school.

Mzansi weigh in

People from across the country weighed in on the incident. Many have voiced their concerns over the safety of children. At the same time, others are calling for a harsh sentence if the man is found guilty.

Here are some of the comments:

@Vuyo Mankayi shared:

"These are taking chances with our kids. I just saw one drunk on his way to fetch kids around 2."

@Khomotšo D Maponya commented:

"He must be put behind bars for a very long time."

@Lerato Mageu expressed

"Our kids are not safe anymore."

@Sizwe Bokwana exclaimed:

"He must rot in jail."

@Nicholas Mpho said

"No bail life in prison."

Nkulie Gavern commented:

"They must bring these dogs to us and teach them some serious lesson, and that will make the others think again before doing these barbaric actions."

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Sifiso Mkhwanazi found guilty of rape and murder

In a related story, Briefly News reported about serial killer Sifiso Mkhwanazi, who faced judgment in court today when he faced the music for the heinous crimes he committed.

Mkhwanazi was found guilty of several rape counts as well as murder and defeating the ends of justice.

This was after he was arrested in 2022 when the South African Police Service found six bodies of prostitutes in a panel-beating workshop.

Source: Briefly News