An 18-year-old man accused of raping his 10-year-old disabled biological brother has been remanded in custody after appearing in the Groblersdal magistrate’s court.
The accused appeared in court on Wednesday in connection with the alleged incident at Ga-Kopa in Tafelkop, in the Motetema area of Limpopo. The case was postponed until March 18 for a formal bail application.
Limpopo police spokesperson Col Malesela Ledwaba said the incident occurred on February 26 while the siblings’ mother was attending a funeral.
The matter only came to light days later when the mother noticed that the child was in pain while bathing him.
Ledwaba said the boy disclosed two days later that his older brother had sexually violated him.
The case was reported to the Motetema police station on Monday and later transferred to the Groblersdal family violence, child protection and sexual offences unit. The suspect was arrested the same day.
Limpopo police commissioner Lt-Gen Thembi Hadebe condemned the incident, describing it as particularly disturbing given the vulnerability of the child.
“This crime allegedly committed by a biological brother against a vulnerable child is particularly shocking. Parents and guardians must report this type of heinous incident immediately to the police, regardless of who the perpetrator is,” said Hadebe.
TimesLIVE
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