Five cops accused of raping women, girls

Five police officers - three from the Western Cape and two from Gauteng - are accused of raping women they were tasked with protecting.

All five have appeared in court. Two of the Cape officers appeared before a Worcester magistrate yesterday.

A spokesman for the Independent Police Investigative Directorate said one of the suspects is a 28-year-old constable based at Touwsriver police station.

It is alleged that he arrested a woman for "notorious behaviour" on Saturday morning and then raped her in a police vehicle parked on a school's premises. Dlamini said the police officer drove the alleged victim home.

A 46-year-old police captain also appeared in the Worcester Magistrate's Court charged with raping a woman in a police vehicle last month.

Dlamini said the officer is alleged to have threatened to shoot the victim and her son if they reported the assault to the police.

Last week a 41-year-old policeman appeared in the Paarl Magistrate's Court charged with raping a 14-year-old girl on a number of occasions in April. The warrant officer is said to be a priest and a close friend of the victim's family.

"The suspect allegedly raped the victim at home twice, without a condom. On another day, the suspect allegedly took the victim, who was on her way to school, to his house and raped her there," Dlamini said.

In Gauteng, a 30-year-old constable was arrested in Vereeniging for allegedly kidnapping and raping a 13-year-old girl on July 2.

It is alleged that the victim was walking home with a child relative when the officer, based at Ennerdale police station, pepper-sprayed them. It is thought that one of the girls fell while running away and was forced into the suspect's car and later raped.

Another policeman appeared in the Randburg Regional Court, in Johannesburg, on a string of charges, including 14 of rape.

He has been in custody since last year.