- A pastor and his wife have been arrested in KwaZu-Natal for allegedly ill-treating a 10-year-old girl in their care.
- The little girl apparently went missing from a house in Zululand after she was left alone.
- Police later discovered that the girl was hiding from her guardians, who would lock her inside the house and deprive her of food.
A pastor and his wife have been arrested in Hlobane, Zululand, for allegedly ill-treating a 10-year-old girl in their care.
According to the police, on Wednesday, a 10-year-old girl was reported missing at Hlobane police.
"According to her guardian, the little girl went missing from the house at Hlobane in Zululand after she was left alone," police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele said.
"The missing persons docket was assigned to the Vryheid Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit to investigate the matter further," she added.
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The pastor and his wife are the little girl's guardians.
When the police investigated, they found the girl hiding inside a wardrobe in the guardian’s house.
Mbele said the police later discovered that the girl was hiding because she was allegedly being ill-treated by her guardians, who would lock her inside the house and deprive her of food.
The couple, aged 61 and 63, were arrested and a case of ill-treatment of a child was opened.
They are due to appear at the Hlobane Magistrate's court on Thursday.
