• Community members in Ntabankulu tracked down and helped arrest a man accused of raping his 13-year-old step-daughter in December 2024.

• The case has been postponed for further investigation after the suspect appeared in court for a bail application on Friday.

The community of Ntabankulu worked together to track down a man who allegedly raped and impregnated his 13-year-old step-daughter, leading to his arrest on Wednesday.

The man is alleged to have raped his step-daughter in December 2024. The incident was discovered only after it was found the young girl was pregnant.

Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Welile Matyolo confirmed the pregnancy was discovered in April this year.

“Information in police records indicate that the victim was raped in December 2024, and was only noticed to be pregnant in April 2025. Her mother opened a criminal case,” he said.

According to reports, the suspect initially fled his home but later handed himself to the police after community members tracked him down.

Ntabankulu Municipality mayor Tsileng Sobuthongo thanked the community for working together with the police. She said that the battle against gender-based violence against women and children can only be won through working together at a community level.

The suspect appeared before the Ntabankulu Magistrate’s Court on Friday for a formal bail application, but the case was postponed until 17 April.

Meanwhile, outside the court building communities were calling for no bail for the suspect.

Incidents of rape against minors have been in the spotlight in recent weeks, following the shocking rape of a seven-year-old girl on school property in Matatiele in the Eastern Cape.

Pictured above: Community members protesting outside the Ntabankulu Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

Image source: Nkululeko Nyembezi