A man previously convicted of rape has been arrested for the rape of two girls aged 11 and 13 at a Pretoria hotel.

The 45-year-old man appeared in the Pretoria regional court on Monday, after his arrest by Sunnyside police on Friday afternoon. The case has been postponed to December for a bail hearing.

Police were informed that the suspect had earlier in the day taken the two minors from Lotus Gardens in Attridgeville to a liquor outlet in Pretoria West, said Brig Mathapelo Peters.

“From there, the three headed to the hotel where the suspect booked a room, where he allegedly raped both victims.

“The investigators have at this stage been able to confirm that the suspect is a parolee after having served time for a previous rape case.”

With the advent of the 16 Days for No Violence Against Women and Children Campaign, Gauteng acting police commissioner Maj-Gen Patricia Rampota assured the public that police are committed to upholding the rights of victims of gender-based and domestic violence and femicide, and to prioritise the investigation of all crimes committed where women, children and other vulnerable people are victims.

“Our communities are encouraged to familiarise themselves with SAPS systems that are in place to ensure that the community receives optimum service delivery at all times, towards restoring public confidence in the service. The SAPS service complaints centre is accessible to the public to lodge complaints that can vary from poor service delivery regarding response time, investigations, police negligence, police misconduct and general complaints against the SAPS members,” she said.

Complaints may be lodged directly by visiting a local police station community service centre (CSC). When the station commander and district commissioner are unable to assist, the complaint may be escalated to the provincial office by calling 011-274 7786, 082 442 2000, or by sending an e-mail to gpcomplaints@saps.gov.za.

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