A 37-year-old foreign national is scheduled to appear before the Lephalale Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 2 March 2026, facing a charge of sexual assault. The accused is alleged to have assaulted an 11-year-old girl on Thursday, 26 February 2026.
According to police reports, the incident occurred at approximately 16:10 in Shongoane One, Steve Biko Section. It is alleged that the victim’s 33-year-old mother sent her daughter to a local spaza shop to buy food.
The girl reportedly returned home crying and informed her mother that she had been forcefully grabbed and sexually assaulted by the male suspect, who is the owner of the shop.
The matter was immediately reported to the local police, who opened a case of sexual assault.
At approximately 23:30 on the same day, members of the Ethiopian Community Forum handed the suspect over to the police.
Police investigations are ongoing.