Limpopo Man Charged with Impregnating 13-Year-Old Girl Abandons Bail
A 28-year-old man who has been charged with statutory rape after he allegedly impregnated a 13-year-old girl appeared in the Seshego Magistrates Court on Wednesday where he abandoned his bail application.
Ditebogo Frans Gololo was arrested on a charge of statutory rape after a thirteen-year-old girl gave birth on Christmas Day at a Seshego Hospital in Limpopo.
Initially, he faced a charge of statutory rape as well as sexual grooming of a minor, however, the sexual grooming charge was dropped due to lack of evidence.
Limpopo National Prosecution Authority (NPA) spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi said Gololo and the teenager are from the same area in Seshego.
“According to reports, the victim and the suspect met at a shopping complex in Seshego in January 2024 and began communicating until they became intimate in May 2024.
“The minor only revealed the incident to her aunt after she experienced complications, and later in November 2024, medical tests confirmed she was eight months pregnant, thus ultimately giving birth to a baby boy on Christmas Day, 25 December 2024.”
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The police were informed about the incident and the suspect was swiftly arrested by Seshego Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit on Thursday, December 26, 2024.
The case was postponed to March 3, 2025 for further investigations.
The young girl is one of thirty-one teenagers who delivered babies in the province during this period.
Premier Dr. Phophi Ramathuba emphasised that this situation highlights the critical issues of teenage pregnancy and the abuse of minors, which cannot be ignored.
In response, the Ramathuba has taken immediate action by dispatching the MEC for Health, Dieketseng Mashego, MEC for Social Development, Florence Radzilani, and MEC for Transport and Community Safety, Violet Mathye, to ensure that the young mother receives the necessary support and care during this difficult time.
Ramathuba praised police for their prompt response.
“We welcome the quick response by police after the hospital raised concern about a 13-year-old giving birth. It is our responsibility to make sure the judiciary acts in accordance with the extent of the crime. Statutory rape is visible in many parts of our province, and we need to bring to a close such a sad chapter,” said Ramathuba