19 Oct 2013

New arrest in child rape case sparks angry protests

2:10 pm on 19 October 2013

Angry protests have broken out in a South African township where two young children were raped and strangled.

The bodies of two girls, aged two and three, were found dumped in community toilets in Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg, on Tuesday.

The girls, who were cousins, went missing on Saturday from outside their home while playing with friends.

Four men have been charged with rape and murder and a fifth was arrested on Friday after police issued an identikit photo. The BBC reports he is expected to be charged.

His arrest sparked violent protests outside a police station in Diepsloot as hundreds of demonstrators demanded he be handed over to the crowd.

Police fired rubber bullets to disperse those who had blocked a road and were throwing stones and burning tyres.

South Africa has one of the highest rates of sexual violence in the world. Police figures show that 64,000 cases were reported last year.

Earlier this year, South Africans were shocked by the gang-rape of a 17-year-old girl who later died in hospital. One man last week admitted his part in her killing.