A man who has been arrested and charged with impregnating a 13-year-old girl, who subsequently gave birth on Christmas Day, will remain in custody. Ditebogo Frans Gololo, aged 28, appeared today in the Seshego Magistrates Court, facing charges of statutory rape and sexual grooming of a minor.

THEY MET AT A SHOPPING MALL

According to Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi, spokesperson for the NPA Limpopo region, the suspect and the victim met at a shopping mall in Seshego in January of this year and began communicating. Their relationship became intimate in May 2024. "The minor only revealed the incident to her aunt after experiencing 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 the Seshego Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offences Unit on Thursday, 26 December 2024. ," Dzhangi stated.

HELD IN CUSTODY

She further said that the police were alerted to the situation, resulting in the suspect's prompt arrest by the Seshego Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offences Unit the day after Christmas. "The docket will be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions for directives. The matter is postponed for a bail application and further investigations to 08 January 2025 at Seshego Magistrate's Court. Gololo is remanded in custody," Dzhangi concluded.