A 37-year-old man will appear in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court on Monday, January 26, after he raped a 15-year-old girl, whom he allegedly forced into marriage. 

He will appear on charges of trafficking in persons (forced marriage) and rape after being arrested by the Hawks’ Economic Protected Resources team.

The man was arrested on January 22 after an intensive investigation. 

Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani said in March 2025, the girl travelled to South Africa on her own. 

“On arrival in Johannesburg, she met up with the 37-year-old man who travelled with her to Cape Town. Soon after arrival in Cape Town, she was forced to marry the same man she travelled with from Johannesburg. The girl was apparently deceived under the pretence that she was relocating to South Africa in order to study.

“After marriage, she was expected to engage in sexual intercourse with the man, and when she refused, she was physically assaulted and raped over the course of seven months,” said Hani.

In November 2025, the victim managed to escape and went to stay with a family friend in Cape Town for three weeks, and later was advised that her husband was aware of her whereabouts. She then decided to travel to George to visit her brother-in-law.

Hani said the girl hitchhiked to George, where she reported the incident at a nearby police station. 

“The matter was then referred to the Hawks for further probing. After the Hawks received information concerning this incident, the minor was immediately moved to a place of safety in Cape Town. 

“Intensive investigation led to the arrest of the suspect,” said Hani. 

chevon.booysen@inl.co.za

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