A 40-year-old traditional healer accused of sexually assaulting two girls, aged 13 and 16, was arrested during a planned operation in Zwelisha, KwaZulu-Natal, on Friday evening.
Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) spokesperson Prem Balram said the mother of the 13-year-old contacted RUSA for assistance on Friday. A criminal case had already been opened against the suspect and a pointing-out note issued by the South African Police Service, but he had allegedly been evading arrest, dodging into dense bush between Zwelisha and Trenance Park whenever law enforcement officers approached the area.
RUSA and the family put together a plan on Friday afternoon to lure the suspect back to his residence. Officers withdrew from the immediate area but stayed positioned nearby. When the man returned after dark, the victim’s mother alerted the officers, who moved in and arrested him at approximately 20:34.
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The mother alleged her daughter had been raped by the suspect since June, and that he had threatened to kill her if she disclosed the abuse. The suspect lived in the same yard as the victim’s family.
The assault came to light after the girl’s younger brother witnessed the abuse and contacted his mother at work, telling her to come home immediately. When she questioned her daughter, the child confirmed she had been raped repeatedly over the preceding three months. Balram said RUSA also received information that a 16-year-old girl had allegedly been sexually assaulted by the same man.
The suspect was handed over to police for further investigation, Balram confirmed.
