Louis Pepping, a former department of education subject advisor in the Eastern Cape, has been found guilty of rape.
The 58-year-old raped a six-year-old girl in September 2019 in Lusikisiki, a village in the Eastern Cape. The convict’s defence argued that someone might have brought the victim into Pepping’s room and raped her.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the province, Pepping took advantage of the victim while she was on her way to buy chips at a local shop.
NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said Pepping grabbed the girl from and took her to his place where he raped her.
“The victim’s family and community launched a search and found the victim with one of her siblings, however, they noticed that she was bleeding from her private part,” said Tyali.
“Upon searching for the perpetrator, they found a sheet with blood stains in Pepping’s room, and a DNA was retrieved from his there.”
He added that members of the community assaulted Pepping until he was rescued by a traditional leader. “He was immediately arrested and taken to the hospital, as he had sustained injuries from being assaulted by community members,” Tyali said.
“The matter will return to court for arguments on a sentence. The state will request the court to sentence the convicted child rapist to life imprisonment as prescribed by law.”
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