Officers to appear in court over rapes

Solomons said the mother of one of the girls, aged 14, approached Molo Songololo for help when she discovered there had been sexual relations between her daughter and a policeman.

“There is an allegation that one of the incidents took place at the police station and we want to know how that happened and whether the station commander knew about this and what he did about it.

“It’s a major concern for us because it compromises the integrity of the police and destroys the trust the community should have in the police – especially women and girls.”

Solomons said initial interviews with the girls suggested that one of them was brought from the Free State and could not remember how she got to Beaufort West.

“On Tuesday, after further investigation, police also discovered a 12-year-old-girl who had presumably been held as a sex slave in a hostel with contract workers who were working in the area for Eskom,” Solomons said.

The accused, aged between 23 and 33, were arrested at their homes soon after the girls lodged the cases.

They are appearing in the Beaufort West Magistrate’s Court today on charges of rape, statutory rape and sexual exploitation.

Police spokesman Captain Malcolm Pojie said the investigation was still at an early stage and more arrests could follow.

Provincial police commissioner General Arnoe Lamoer said: “Being law enforcers means that we must uphold and enforce the law, not break it. We are supposed to be the guardians of our society and look after our young ones…

“We want to be assured that the investigation will not be tampered with; we don’t want to hear in two weeks’ time that dockets went missing.

“We want people to be charged properly, and there must be swift prosecution.”