28-year-old Limpopo man to appear in court on statutory rape charges

JOHANNESBURG - A 28-year-old man is expected to make his first appearance in the Seshego Magistrates Court on a charge of statutory rape.

He was arrested shortly after a 13-year-old girl gave birth to his child on Christmas Day.

According to police, the two met at a shopping complex in January where they began communicating.

The girl informed her aunt they started being intimate in May.
 
At the same time, three 15-year-olds in KwaZulu-Natal and a 16-year-old from North West were among those who gave birth on Christmas Day.

ALSO READ: 47 and counting - KwaZulu-Natal welcomes Christmas babies
 
Teenage births have sparked outrage around the high number of teenage pregnancies in the country.

Limpopo premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba says more needs to be done to protect young children from predators.

"People are getting with murder, acts of criminality. Community, society is protecting them, starting with the family. This is what we're emphasising, families are not reporting that, they are keeping quiet up to the level of health professionals, so who is supposed to protect this girl child who has been raped," said Ramathuba.