Underage girl impregnated by her pregnant mother's lover

A 14-year-old form one student of Tsetsebjwe Junior Secondary School in the Bobirwa district has been impregnated by her mother’s boyfriend.

The student is four-months pregnant and her 37-year-old abuser has been remanded in custody after appearing at Bobonong Magistrate court last week.

Baines Drift Police Station Commander Onneetse Gagogosha confirmed investigating the matter. He said the case was reported to them by concerned neighbours.

“It appears the child was defiled from long back but the matter was only reported to us recently. The suspect has already been arraigned before court and will appear again next month,” he said, adding that there are allegations that the 14-year-old had long told her mother that she was being abused, but the mother ignored her.

“The mother was allegedly worried that there would be no one to feed them if the suspect was reported. We are still investigating these issues,” he said.

He said they know the mother well, as she has a case of ‘corruption of children' in which she is accused of beating her children for telling out on an abuser.

“Dilo gatwe dichakase in Bobirwa, parents prioritise food over their children, there are sad issues we deal with around this area. Just last week, we received another report about an underage girl who was sent away by parents to a witchdoctor to perform some ritual practices on her. “She has now returned six months pregnant. Both the mother and child refuse to name the witchdoctor, we are still struggling with the case,” Gagogosha said.

Meanwhile, sources close to the matter of the Form One student at Tsetsebjwe Junior School have informed this publication that the mother of the student is also heavily pregnant and the father is her daughter’s abuser.

“He has impregnated both mother and daughter. We hear that the child has informed the police that she long told her about the man sleeping with both of them and the mother got angry at her. This is why concerned neighbours reported the matter,” the source said.

At the school, the student is receiving counselling and is likely be sent home soon. And even though the school head at the Tsetsebjwe school was uncomfortable to speak to this publication, saying only her superiors can do so, one teacher at the school revealed that there are two other form three students who are pregnant in clear cases of defilement. One is heavily pregnant as examinations approach.

"All these are defilement cases. The girls are being abused by older men. Parents care less about their children in this area. We hear that the Form One student was being given P10 by her abuser every time he slept with her.

“The girl told her mother and she told her that she should keep silent. We hear she was angry even when this came out, stating that they are both pregnant and she wonders who will take care of their unborn babies," the teacher said.