Kathu boy, 14, walks free with suspended sentence for attempted rape of six-year-old

A 14-year-old boy from Kathu has been convicted of attempted rape and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years, the South African Police Service said in a statement issued from the Northern Cape provincial commissioner’s office in Kimberley.

The Kathu Regional Court found him guilty over an incident involving a six-year-old boy who was allegedly sexually assaulted on 29 November 2025 while on his way home.

The court heard that the younger child walked past the accused’s house and was called into the yard. The accused instructed him to enter a shack, locked the door behind him and then sexually assaulted him.

Detective Constable Pako Bele of the Kathu Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit investigated the case. The accused was arrested in December 2025 and remained in custody at a juvenile detention facility until his conviction and sentencing.

The sentence is suspended on condition that he is not convicted of a similar offence committed during the five-year period of suspension.

Brigadier Kenneth Baloyi, Acting District Commissioner of the John Taolo Gaetsewe District, commended Detective Constable Bele for the investigation that led to the prosecution. The police said the Northern Cape service remains committed to protecting children and to holding offenders accountable through the criminal justice system.

Enquiries on the case are directed to Lieutenant Colonel Thabo Litabe on 082 494 9987.

The statement is a police media summary of the case rather than the court record itself. It is published by the South African Police Service at https://www.saps.gov.za/newsroom/msspeechdetail.php?nid=72142.