Johannesburg – A 35-year-old man was remanded in custody after he appeared in Leboeng Periodical Court, Limpopo, for alleged rape and kidnapping of a teenager.

Steven Thulare, who was charged with rape and kidnapping, appeared in court on Tuesday when the matter was postponed to September 26 for further investigations.

Limpopo police spokesperson, Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, said the suspect was arrested in the early hours of Monday, September 18, 2023, for allegedly raping and kidnapping an 18-year-old girl at Kgautswane village in Sekhukhune District.

“According to the information, on September 16, 2023, the victim was taken under false pretences by the suspect that he would take her to her boyfriend's home, but instead, she was taken to a different place, where the suspect kept her hostage and raped her,” said Ledwaba.

“The police received a complaint from the mother of the victim, who had already reported being missing, and subsequently, a search operation was launched to locate the victim. Preliminary investigations were conducted through intelligence-driven operations, which led to the recovery of the victim at the suspect's house, and the suspect was subsequently apprehended.”

According to the police, the cases of rape and kidnapping are under investigation by the Burgersfort Family Violence Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit, and the victim was offered psychological support and treatment for trauma.

The Star