INTERPOL SA Arrests US Father Wanted for Rape and Sexual Assault in Eastern Cape

• INTERPOL South Africa has arrested a 56-year-old American fugitive in Gqeberha over allegations of rape and sexual assault involving his minor daughter.
• The suspect allegedly abused the victim when she was 12 years old before fleeing the United States and hiding in the Eastern Cape
• He is expected to appear in the Gqeberha Magistrates’ Court as the United States government pursues his extradition

EASTERN CAPE - A 56-year-old wanted fugitive was arrested on Wednesday, 27 May 2026, at his home in Kabega Park, Gqeberha. The man was wanted for the alleged sexual abuse of his daughter.

Details on the case against the US man

The suspect, a United States citizen, is wanted by INTERPOL on charges of rape and sexual assault following a case reported by the victim’s mother to the San Antonio Police Department in 2017.

According to reports, the man allegedly raped his daughter and sent her explicit text messages over a period of time. The victim was 12 years old at the time of the alleged abuse.

Read also

Centurion shooting has South Africans calling country a "warzone" after 2 men killed outside estate

Following the investigation, the suspect fled the United States and was later traced to South Africa’s Eastern Cape province.

INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau (NCB) Pretoria tracked the suspect and executed a Section 5(1)(b) warrant after receiving an extradition request from United States authorities. The operation was carried out with support from the Nelson Mandela Bay District Intervention Task Team, Crime Combating Unit, and Mount Road Crime Intelligence.

The suspect is expected to appear before the Gqeberha Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 29 May 2026, where extradition proceedings will be heard.

See video of the arrest here:

Man sentenced to life for raping his daughter

In similar news, a 44-year-old father was sentenced to life imprisonment for raping his 17-year-old daughter in Limpopo. Police said the offence occurred on 20 September 2023. Limpopo police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said the teenager had been at home with her parents when her father took her to a graveyard to perform rituals at her grandfather's grave. Ledwaba said the rituals ended at about 21:00. While walking back through nearby bushes, the man allegedly grabbed his daughter and raped her. He then threatened her and warned her not to report the assault.

Read also

Former rugby star JP Smith faces an arrest warrant as the assault case takes a dramatic turn

Pretoria man rapes girl with Down Syndrome

In other news, South Africans were fuming that a 32-year-old man who was sentenced for raping a girl with Down syndrome said that the victim gave him consent because she was his girlfriend. Thasbo Xolani Masoka was living in the same block of flats when the incident happened on 18 September 2022. The little girl was with her mother at her mom's salon. Her mother closed the salon just before 8 pm and noticed that her daughter was missing. After an intensive search, they found the girl in the man's flat.

Man found guilty of raping his 12-year-old 'wife'

Previously, Briefly News reported that a 43-year-old man was convicted in the Worcester Regional Court on multiple charges, including the abduction and rape of a 12-year-old girl who was found living with him as his wife. David Chauke was found guilty on charges of abduction, trafficking in persons, rape, sexual exploitation of a child and contravening the Immigration Act, following a case that stemmed from a rescue operation in 2020. Evidence before the court showed that two local women had alerted a community leader after discovering that the child was living with an adult man.

Source: Briefly News