PE rape suspect nabbed

POLICE have arrested a 49-year-old man who allegedly abducted, assaulted and raped two girls, aged five and six, in the Chris Hani informal area in Port Elizabeth.

Police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge said the girls were reported missing by their parents on Wednesday after they hadn’t returned home by 6pm.

They had last been seen playing in a field nearby.

Police searched for the girls at friends and family in the area, before the SAPS K9 unit and helicopter were called in.

“Police made a breakthrough when the first girl of six was found by police behind the Chevrolet Stadium just after midnight,” Beetge said.

“The girl was found severely assaulted with stab wounds on her head and body and was rushed to hospital.

“The girl managed to give some information, which led police to clamp down on a shack in Chris Hani, where the five-year-old girl was found with a 49-year-old suspect at 4.45am. Medical examinations confirmed that both girls were raped.”

Beetge said the suspect has been charged with abduction, attempted murder and rape, and will appear in the New Brighton Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

Police cluster commander, Major General Dawie Rabie, said: “Both girls were found and rescued from a very grim fate. SAPS will leave no stone unturned in this case and will make sure that this case receives priority and expert attention.”

Police have asked community members to not take the law into their own hands.

Residents destroyed the shack belonging to the suspect shortly after the girls’ rescue and his arrest. – ANA