Mbele said the 4-year-old was allegedly visiting her grandmother, 62, when she went to play outside with her two brothers. A man then took the little girl into bushes nearby and allegedly raped her.

Her grandmother suspected something was amiss when her brothers returned home without the girl, so she went out to look for her, said Mbele.

Two hours later, the child came back home accompanied by a man.

The grandmother found grass on the back of the girl’s head, and after inspecting her further, found that it appeared that she had been raped.

Mbele said residents called the police after they apprehended the suspect at a nearby tavern.

The child was taken to hospital where it was confirmed that she had been raped.

It was also confirmed that the man who brought the child home was the man who allegedly raped her, said Mbele. DM