The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has dropped a sexual grooming charge against a 28-year-old Limpopo man accused of impregnating a 13-year-old girl, but the statutory rape charge remains.
Limpopo NPA spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi said the decision is due to insufficient evidence.
“The accused abandoned his bail and the state withdrew the charge of sexual grooming as there’s not enough evidence which can support the charge,” said Malabi-Dzhangi.
The case drew significant attention on Christmas Day when a 13-year-old gave birth to a baby boy at Seshego Hospital.
According to reports the victim and the suspect met at a shopping complex in Seshego in January 2024 and became intimate four months later.
The minor only revealed the incident to her aunt after experiencing complications and in November medical tests confirmed she was eight months pregnant. .
The police were informed about the incident and the man was arrested by the Seshego family violence, child protection and sexual offences unit a day after the teen gave birth.
Under the law, the incident is classified as statutory rape, as minors under 16 are legally prohibited from consenting to sexual activity.
The matter has been postponed to March for further investigation.
TimesLIVE
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