On Monday, June 12, 2023, the parents of the accused rape victim made an
appearance in the Kabokweni Magistrate’s Court, this time for concealment of death.
This discovery follows the exhumation of a child’s remains (01) in Pienaar at the scene
of what authorities believe to be the rape of a young girl (14 or 15 years old) by her
stepfather (43) with the help of her biological mother (35) at the time.

The news concerning the burial of a child in a shallow grave behind the shack where the
family lived, surfaced as Police investigators were trying to get a picture of the
circumstances surrounding the girl’s ordeal.

About a child whose whereabouts were unknown, important information surfaced. The
investigation revealed that after not seeing the youngster for a significant amount of
time and not receiving word that she had passed away, neighbours were terrified.

This eventually led to the exhumation and discovery of the child’s remains on
Wednesday, 07 June 2023. A case was opened for that matter hence both parents are
now faced with an additional charge laid against them.

The investigation is ongoing and a Forensic investigation is underway to establish the
cause of the child’s death.

Police at this stage cannot rule out the possibility of adding more charges against them.
So far police have learned that the parents are not South African citizens and it is
believed that they are originally from Mozambique without valid documentation to be in
the country. However, in this matter, the SAPS is working collaboratively with the
Department of Home Affairs to ascertain its status in the country.

Just to get a background of where this stems from, the matter regarding the girl’s rape
was kept under the carpet for years. It is also alleged that the young girl came to a point

where she ran from home to escape from her assailants then she came across a man
who took her in but he too, allegedly raped her.

However, be it may, some members of the community alerted the authorities at the
beginning of this past week. The case was opened and the matter was investigated by
the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit in Pienaar the
step-father (43), as well as the biological mother (35), were arrested on Tuesday (06
June 2023) then charged accordingly.

The little girl as well as her four siblings were removed to a place of safety.

In the meantime, it is worth noting that the parents appeared at the Kabokweni
Magistrate’s Court on 07 June 2023 on charges of rape where their case was
postponed to 14 June 2023 but the two are still kept in custody.

In particular, since this sad story surfaced during the celebration of Youth Month,
Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela, the Provincial Commissioner of
the SAPS in Mpumalanga, has slammed the alleged behavior by the parents against
their offspring. “Parents have the duty to raise their children in a responsible way so that
they will become responsible future parents themselves. The abuse of children by
anyone, including parents, must never occur, the General emphasized.