My neighbour has been sexually violating my girl since age 10

A 34-year-old mother who resides in Palapye is struggling to comfort her 11-year-old daughter who has allegedly been raped by a 17-year-old boy.

The boy (names withheld) is neighbour to the mother and her daughter.

Speaking to The Midweek Sun this week, the hurting mother said that she went to work on Ascension Day leaving her baby girl and her son aged eight in the care of her neighbour - grandmother to the 17-year-old boy.

The grandmother then went out leaving all the children alone at home. That is when the 17-year-old saw an opportunity to do the unthinkable.

“My daughter tells me that the boy found her watching television and he instructed that she comes with him to his room. My girl refused but the boy harshly told her that she should follow him or he would beat her.

When they got into the bedroom, he allegedly undressed then stripped off her clothing as well. He then got on top her. Hearing that last part was enough, I shivered,” the mother said.

Whilst still busy in the bedroom, the 11-year-old's younger brother began calling out his sister’s name. He was wondering where she had disappeared to, together with the 17-year-old. At the same time the old woman returned.

Realising that the brother was looking for his sister, the granny joined him shouting the girl’s name but she never answered. The granny grew anxious and checked all the rooms but could not find her.

She tried calling the 17-year-boy but he did not respond. Later the boy appeared from his room and when he was asked why his room was locked he said he had been sleeping.

The granny asked him where the girl was but the boy claimed he did not know. It is suspected that he was hiding the girl in his room and had instructed her to say she had been playing behind the house, when she eventually came out of the room.

Indeed, after a few minutes later, the girl appeared and told the granny that she had all along been behind the house. Heavily suspecting that something was off, the granny started threatening to beat her but the girl ran off to her father’s house.

“When I returned from work, I was told that she was not home. I phoned her father's home and they brought her home. She refused to talk and I decided to take her to the hospital based on what the old woman had told me.

“The hospital advised that I engage the police and we did. After the police officer spoke to her, she told me that my girl confessed that the boy had long started sleeping with her at age 10,” she said.

Her worst nightmare had been confirmed. Her body immediately went numb. The police took them to the hospital and the doctor confirmed that indeed the girl was molested and that the incident was not her first.

The 11-year-old is currently undergoing medical examinations.

“I do not know how to comfort my baby, how do I become strong for her when I am equally falling apart. I have confronted that boy and he is denying everything. He only admitted to sleeping with her last year but not this time.

“He claims my daughter was just hiding in his room and that he was never aware that she was in there,” the mother said.

What pains her the most is that the boy has not been taken in yet by the police and her girl is terrified. She kept telling her mother that the boy threatened to beat her if she dared to tell anyone that he was sleeping with her.

"She is worried and scared of the boy, she sees him walking around. She is also worried that people will laugh at her and wishes to change schools."

Assistant Superintendent Basupi Mmereki of Central Police Station in Palapye confirmed investigating the matter.

"We received the case after 2100hrs on Ascension Day, we took the girl to the hospital and the doctor instructed that she be assessed by a specialist. We are waiting to hear from the specialist. That is why we have not taken the suspect in for questioning," Mmereki said.

He added that cases involving minors need to be treated with caution, and they do not want to find themselves falsely accusing the suspect, but promised to act when they have all the evidence.