Limpopo man charged with impregnating 13-year-old girl abandons bail

A 28-year-old Limpopo man who has been charged with statutory rape after he allegedly impregnated a 13-year-old girl appeared in the Seshego Magistrates Court on Wednesday where he abandoned his bail application.

Ditebogo Frans Gololo was arrested after a 13-year-old girl gave birth on Christmas Day in 2024.

Initially, he faced a charge of statutory rape as well as sexual grooming of a minor, however, the sexual grooming charge was dropped due to lack of evidence.

Limpopo National Prosecution Authority (NPA) spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi said Gololo and the teenager are from the same area in Seshego.

"According to reports, the victim and the suspect met at a shopping complex in Seshego in January 2024 and began communicating until they became intimate in May 2024.

"The minor only revealed the incident to her aunt after she experienced complications, and later in November 2024, medical tests confirmed she was eight months pregnant, thus ultimately giving birth to a baby boy on Christmas Day, 25 December 2024."

The police were informed about the incident and the suspect was swiftly arrested by Seshego Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit on Thursday, December 26, 2024.

The case was postponed to March 3, 2025 for further investigations.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health spokesperson, Foster Mohale said the number of teen mothers has decreased from 145 recorded in 2023 to just under 90 young mothers in 2024.

"This can be attributed to a number of interventions including Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) and Healthy Lifestyle Campaign and the rollout of Youth Friendly Zones in primary health facilities across the country to create an enabling environment for young people to access sexual and reproductive health services without waiting in the queue with general customers,'' said Mohale.

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