Riot Hlatshwayo

Riot Hlatshwayo

A Mpumalanga public prosecutor stands accused of raping a 16-year-old orphan adopted by his parents.

The Mpumalanga police only made the incident public today though the rape allegedly took place on Sunday night.

Provincial police spokesman Superintendent Abie Khoabane said the prosecutor, attached to the Lydenburg regional court, allegedly raped the victim at his parents' home in Driekoppies near Malelane.

Khoabane said the prosecutor had allegedly found that the girl was not at home and called her on her cellphone.

"He allegedly asked her, as a 'half-brother', to come home so he could see her," Khoabane said yesterday.

"Instead he allegedly locked her up in his bedroom, kept her there all night and repeatedly raped her."

The prosecutor allegedly asked the girl not to tell anyone about the incident and promised to continue making sure that she "received the necessary support she needed as a teenager".

But the girl left the home on Monday morning, went straight to the prosecutor's aunt and told her what had happened.

The police said the aunt contacted the local ANC Women's League, who reported the matter to the police.

The prosecutor was arrested the same day.

Khoabane said the prosecutor spent a night behind bars before appearing in the Nelspruit magistrate's court the following day (yesterday).

"He was granted bail of R1000 and the matter was postponed to August 27 for further investigations," Khoabane said.

He said the girl was given counselling and would stay at the aunt's house until the case was over.