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- Lebowakgomo police are searching for three men who raped a 13-year-old girl on Saturday morning.
- The victim's family said she is traumatised by the ordeal.
- Residents have urged police to apprehend the suspects.
Residents of Seleteng village in Limpopo are demanding justice after a 13-year-old girl was abducted and sexually assaulted on Saturday morning.
Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba said detectives from the Lebowakgomo Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit had launched an investigation into the abduction and rape.
"According to the report, the girl was walking in Seleteng village at approximately 10:00 on Saturday when a grey Toyota Tazz with three occupants stopped beside her, and one of the suspects forcibly seized and compelled her into the vehicle," he said.
Mashaba said one of the men covered the victim's face with a cloth and forced her to consume a spiked drink until she lost consciousness.
He said the victim reported that when she regained consciousness later in the afternoon, she realised she had been raped, and heard her abductors discussing trafficking her.
"She then jumped out of the moving vehicle and fled on foot, and the matter was reported to the police," Mashaba added.
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Police said the registration number of the vehicle was unknown.
The girl's aunt, speaking under condition of anonymity to safeguard the victim's identity, recounted that her niece had been en route to visit a friend when the vehicle approached her.
The aunt said her niece tried to flee, but the men physically overpowered her.
"My niece said when she tried to escape, three men emerged and forcefully abducted her," she said.
"The victim was left traumatised; she is unable to attend school or sleep at night due to fear."
The incident has outraged the villagers of Seleteng.
Lerato Ntsoane, a resident, urged the authorities to take decisive action and apprehend the perpetrators.
She said:
Ntsoane stressed that children should not have to live in fear within their communities and highlighted the frustration felt by residents due to the time it took to apprehend criminals.
Mogale Mphahlele, a 40-year-old resident, called for men to reflect on their actions.
"We must stand before a mirror as men and sincerely consider how we would feel if the same acts we commit were inflicted upon us, our mothers, sisters, or children," he said.
Mphahlele stressed the importance of a stringent justice system to deter potential criminals, suggesting South Africa should consider implementing the death penalty.
"People are acting with impunity. How could anyone destroy a child's life in broad daylight?" he asked.
