According to the police spokesperson in the Mopani area, Capt Moatshe Ngoepe, the victim's mother left her in the kitchen and went to the bathroom when the incident occurred.
While she was still in the bathroom, the suspect entered the house and saw the child playing alone in the kitchen. He allegedly undressed the toddler and raped her. She started screaming during the ordeal. Her mother heard her screaming. She quickly left the bathroom and came to the kitchen, where she found the suspect on top of the victim. When the mother arrived on the scene, the suspect jumped up and ran away, leaving the three-year-old girl crying helplessly. The mother reported the matter to the police and the suspect was arrested a few hours after the incident. According to the police statement, the suspect is a psychiatric patient. He was still to appear in court at the time of going to press.
In a separate incident, the Saselemani police arrested a 15-year-old boy on Tuesday afternoon and charged him with three counts of rape. The incident took place at Saselemani village two weeks ago. According to the police statement, the suspect found the three victims, aged 2, 3 and 4, collecting locusts in the bushes. The statement indicates that the suspect advised the victims to move to another place where he said locusts were available in abundance.
On arrival at the prescribed spot, the suspect allegedly raped them one after the other. He later instructed them not to tell the story to anybody or else he would kill them. One of the victims' mother noticed that she was not walking properly and decided to question her. She told her mother about the incident. They were all taken to the local health centre, where it was confirmed that they had been raped. The suspect was still to appear in court at the time of going to press.