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Johannesburg - A 9-year-old girl is the latest child to deliver damning testimony about being violated by a 58-year-old scholar patroller at a Soweto primary school, who allegedly preyed on her in his guard-room before school began.

The girl was testifying on Tuesday through an intermediary at the South Gauteng High Court sitting in the Palmridge Magistrate's Court, where she said that rape accused Johannes Molefe allegedly sexually assaulted her in the room after she sought shelter from the cold weather outside.

Molefe is facing three rape charges and 11 of sexual assault for allegedly violating 13 girls between the ages of 5 and 13 last year.

The child, who is now in Grade 3, said she was sitting outside the guard-room with her friend, who then went to the toilet. 

"I went inside the guard-room because it was very cold outside. Then Mkhulu (Molefe) entered. There was no one else in the room.

"Mkhulu sat next to me on the bench. I was wearing my school dress. He then moved my panty to the side and put his hand on my vagina," the girl said.

"I said: 'Mkhulu please stop.' He refused to stop. After that, he pushed me outside (the guard-room)," she testified.

The minor testified that children who had allegedly been violated by the man were called to a computer room at the school some time after the incident and she then told her class teacher, as well as another educator, that she had an infection. 

On Monday, school principal Ndungu Mthimkhulu testified that the school, in the course of an investigation into allegations that Molefe was abusing girls, found out that a child had developed a bladder infection as a result of the sexual abuse.

Molefe has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him.

The trial continues. 


The Star