Swazi Observer

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4-YEAR-OLD BEATEN FOR‘RAPE’OF 3 YEAR-OLD

By Sifiso Dlamini | 2020-05-27

A distressed mother is seeking justice after her four-year-old son was viciously assaulted by an intoxicated neighbour.

The mother is said to have reeled in shock when she saw her son covered in blood, screaming his lungs out in agony after he was allegedly assaulted by the neighbour who stated that the minor repeatedly ‘raped’ his three-year-old daughter.

The incident is said to have occurred last Friday night at KaMzilikazi near Siteki.

argument

When narrating the incident, the mother, who requested that her identity be concealed, said she and her two children aged 16 and four, as well as her neighbours living in rented flats in the same compound began the day as usual not knowing that she would witness the alleged assault of her youngest son after he was accused of ‘rape’.

She said in the evening, the minor visited a neighbour’s house who had a three-year-old daughter, whom he normally played with.

The father of the three-year-old is a bus conductor who had been imbibing alcohol since morning and had been playing music with the volume turned high. She said after a while, her elder son informed her he heard his younger brother crying and she went to enquire what was wrong.

She stated that she found him crying and enquired what had happened and to her shock, the man said he hit the minor after he found him on top of his daughter.

Help

He is said to have further informed her that it was the third time they found the minor boy engaginging in the act.

She added that during the argument, the man dragged her son and disappeared into the dark and when she followed him after a while she found him kicking the minor as he helplessly lay on the ground.

She said when she eventually managed to stop him, the minor was bleeding. She added that when she tried to engage him to talk about the matter, he threatened her and told her to report the matter to the police as he was tired of having his child ‘abused’.

She said he further alleged that her son had infected his daughter with HIV. She said she tried to clean her son's wounds and stop the bleeding but she noted that he needed medical attention hence she called the referral hospital and health care workers came and took the minor to Good Shepherd Hospital.

She added that due to the nature of the injuries, she was advised to open a case with the police. She said the matter was reported at Siteki Police Station.

She said the police informed her they would alert her on when the matter would be taken to court.

Police

She also said she was concerned that the minor needed counselling as he had not been able to sleep since the incident occurred.

"He wakes up crying and I am concerned he has been affected psychologically and may need counselling," she said. Deputy Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Inspector Nosipho Mnguni confirmed the assault on the minor.

She said the suspect had appeared in court and would make his second appearance on June 16, 2020.

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