'Give him to us'
2003-12-09 22:46
Jabu Mhlabane
Machadodorp - A man accused of raping and killing a nine-year-old child and leaving her body on a railway line in the hope a train would mutilate her body had to be kept in a court holding cell for his own safety on Tuesday.
Hundreds of irate residents protested outside Machadodorp magistrate's court in Mpumalanga, chanting for police to release him so they could kill him.
Police negotiated with the court to transfer the case to Belfast magistrate's court instead, where the man will appear on December 18.
"The crowd was just too aggressive and uncontrollable," said inspector Leonard Hlathi of the provincial police.
"They wanted to open the police vehicle so they could kill the suspect."
The 28-year-old suspect is accused of breaking into the girl's house in Emthonjeni near Machadodorp at midnight on December 6.
She and her 13-year-old brother were alone at the time because their mother was at work in Nelspruit and their older sister had gone out.
The suspect repeatedly raped the girl while her brother hid behind the kitchen stove in terror.
The suspect then dragged the girl to the railway line where he strangled her to death with a rope and left her body on the tracks.
Spoornet officials and residents found the child's body before a train could drive over her, however.
The next day, residents traced the suspect to his house and conducted a citizen's arrest.
- African Eye