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Johannesburg - A man accused of raping and murdering a 7-year-old girl later found hanging from a tree has appeared in the Madikwe Magistrate's Court, North West police said on Wednesday.
David Mahlangu, 27, was arrested on Sunday around 11:00 in the Madikwe area after the girl went missing from her home on the same day, spokesperson Colonel Sabata Mokgwabone said in a statement.
"The community was allegedly searching for her when they saw the suspect coming back from the bushes. According to the information available at this stage, some community members held the man while others proceeded to the direction where he came from."
Upon searching, community members allegedly found the girl's body hanging on a tree.
"According to the information, it was apparent that the minor was raped before being murdered," Mokgwabone said.
"The case has been postponed until 14 September 2015 for further investigation."
On Saturday, a 4-year-old girl was found hanging from a tree after she was allegedly raped in Waterloo, Verulam, in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday morning.
The girl was taken from her home at around 05:30 on Saturday morning after her grandmother had apparently left to visit someone in the area, Reaction Unit SA head Prem Balram told News24 at the time.
He believed she had been raped.
"The suspect cut a blanket in strips and tried to hang the child," he said.
When the grandmother returned home and realised the girl was missing, she launched a search party.
The girl was still alive when she was found, while the alleged rapist was still at large.
