Sexual assault and violence against children remain a serious concern in communities across the country, with two minors under the age of 10 allegedly raped in separate incidents in Verulam this month.
In the first incident, a four-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by her uncle in Cottonlands, KwaZulu-Natal, on Monday, 14 September.
The Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) operations centre received a call for assistance at approximately 17:29. Reaction officers and paramedics were dispatched to the residence.
RUSA spokesperson Prem Balram said: “On arrival, it was established that the 34-year-old suspect occasionally visited the child and her mother. He was left alone with the minor during the visit and later departed. Approximately two hours later, the child complained of pain and informed her mother about the incident. Her mother noticed signs of injury and contacted the operations centre for assistance. Reaction officers searched the area for the suspect, but he remains at large.”
In a previous incident, a seven-year-old boy was allegedly kidnapped and sexually assaulted on Thursday, 10 September. RUSA was called to assist after the child returned home and informed his family of the incident.
On arrival, it was established that the boy had proceeded to an aftercare facility after school. He was sent home after being informed that there was no water at the facility.
While walking home, a black vehicle occupied by two men stopped near him.
Balram said: “The suspects allegedly forced the minor into the vehicle and drove him to a house a short distance away. The men consumed drugs inside the residence before one of them sexually assaulted the child. The boy thereafter walked home. He informed reaction officers that the house was situated in the nearby vicinity but could not recall its exact location. The South African Police Service (SAPS) is investigating further.”
It is not limited to Verulam, however. The Mtubatuba Regional Court this month imposed a life sentence on a 68-year-old man following his conviction for the rape of a six-year-old girl in March 2025 in the eBaswazini area of northern KwaZulu-Natal.
The accused was known to the complainant as a neighbour, and she referred to him as “grandpa”.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said: “Evidence presented in court revealed that on the day of the incident, the complainant was returning home from school when she encountered the accused on the road. He grabbed her by the hand and instructed her to accompany him to his homestead. When she questioned why, he covered her mouth and forcibly took her to his home, where he raped her.”
In addition to the life sentence, the court declared the accused unfit to possess a firearm and ordered that his particulars be entered into both the National Register for Sex Offenders and the National Child Protection Register.
Ramkisson-Kara said: “The NPA trusts that sentences of this nature will serve as a strong deterrent to perpetrators who prey on vulnerable members of society. The accused abused a position of trust and exploited the vulnerability of a young child. Children are among the most vulnerable members of society and deserve the highest level of protection from all forms of abuse, violence, and exploitation.”
