Mbombela - Mpumalanga's MEC of Safety, Security and Liaison, Vusi Shongwe, wants a task team to investigate the recent rape of an 11-year-old girl who was walking to school.
The girl was grabbed by an unknown attacker armed with a knife and dragged into thick bush in Tekwane North, near Mbombela, where she was so brutally raped that she had to spend six days in hospital.
"We've had it with these merciless cowards who are constantly pouncing on innocent women and children," said Shongwe on Tuesday.
"The police must bring them to book and our courts must give maximum sentences to those successfully prosecuted to deter would-be criminals."
He has also appealed to the community of Mbombela to be extra vigilant because of a suspected serial rapist who had raped three women in the last month. The rapist lured his victims by promising them jobs.
"I urge women not to allow strangers to manipulate their vulnerabilities. They should avoid walking alone in unfamiliar places, which might predispose them to such incidents," Shongwe said.
