Tsakani – A 10-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a 29-year-old man on March 13, after he reportedly pretended to be a taxi driver. The man allegedly picked up the girl in Tsakani while she was on her way to school in Kwa-Thema.
According to the child’s mother, her daughter said there were three other women in the taxi.
“Along the way, she asked to get off at her destination, but both the driver and the passengers ignored her,” the mother said. “The taxi passed her stop twice.”
The mother alleged that the driver threatened her daughter with a screwdriver when she insisted on getting out. She claimed that the driver then drove to Witpoortjie Road in Brakpan, where he allegedly raped the girl.
“He later dropped my child off at school. I received a call from a teacher who noticed how unsettled my daughter appeared. She told me that when she approached my child, she was crying.
“The girl was taken to the school office and questioned, and that is when I was contacted. My first thought upon arriving at the office was that she was in trouble,” the mother said.
The mother was then informed of the encounter and advised to report the matter to the police. Following this advice, she opened a case at the Kwa-Thema Police Station and was later taken to the nearest Crisis Centre, where a rape kit confirmed the incident.
On the same day, she approached the Greater Brakpan Taxi Association to assist in locating the taxi and its driver.
“The association brought forward their drivers and taxis, but unfortunately, none matched the description. I asked my daughter to show me where the incident took place,” she said.
The following day, she noticed that some nearby houses, at the scene, had surveillance cameras. She went to each house requesting footage, but was unable to find the help she needed.
Eventually, she met a man she knew, who advised her to approach an establishment near her child’s school that had surveillance cameras. It was there that they obtained footage of the vehicle.
As a result, the mother and those assisting confirmed that the car was not a licensed public-use taxi but a private vehicle.
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“On March 16 at 06:00, I went to Duduza Rank, hoping to spot the taxi. I stood where my daughter had explained where the other passengers had gotten off. It never came by,” she said.
The mother later received a call from the taxi association confirming that the car had been located. When they reached the rank, the victim positively identified both the car and the driver.
“What confirmed he was the suspect were the screwdriver found in the driver’s door and the yellowish hat my daughter had described,” she explained.
The suspect was taken to the police station, detained, and the case was subsequently referred to the Brakpan SAPS. The mother expressed deep sadness, saying her family remains shocked by the ordeal.
She shared that her daughter is now experiencing nightmares.
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“I just hope the law will take its course. I hope the suspect will rot in jail because that is what he deserves. He has created a lifetime of trauma for my daughter and for our family,” she said.
Looking ahead, the mother said her focus is on fully supporting her daughter through her healing journey. She highlighted that both she and her daughter are receiving counselling to cope with the trauma.
Ekurhuleni SAPS district spokesperson Captain Neldah Sekgobela confirmed the incident.
“On March 13, a 10-year-old was supposed to be transported from Tsakani to Kwa-Thema to attend school. On the way, the taxi driver diverted to the plots in Brakpan and raped the child,” she said.
Sekgobela cited that the 29-year-old suspect remains in custody.
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