A Mitchells Plain resident is facing charges of rape and assault after he allegedly lured two children from a shop, attacked them, tied them up and left them in the bushes.
The 12-year-old girl managed to free herself and led police to her eight-year-old friend, who was found more than five hours later tied up in the dark.
The 41-year-old resident, known to the children and arrested at the weekend, is expected to appear in the Mitchells Plain Magistrate's Court by Tuesday.
On Sunday, police spokesman Ian Williams said the children, who were in hospital, and their parents were severely traumatised by the "extremely vicious" incident. They were not prepared to speak to the media.
Williams said the 12-year-old girl and her friend, a boy, had gone to a games shop in the area early on Saturday.
"This man that they know came up to them. I don't know how, but he managed to lure the children away with him. He first walked around with them then took them to the bushes."
Williams said it appeared the man had assaulted both children and raped the girl before tying them both up and then leaving them "possibly for dead".
After the man had gone, the girl managed to loosen her wrists and feet and ran out of the bushy area.
Williams said ambulance personnel had then noticed the girl, whose head and face were injured, sitting on a street corner.
"She told them she'd been raped so they brought her to the police station."
There, the girl had told officers her friend was still tied up.
Williams said officers, sniffer dogs as well as neighbourhood watch members immediately began scouring the bushes opposite Westgate Mall.
Although extremely traumatised, the girl managed to point out the area where the boy was. When officers found him he was still tied up.
Williams said the boy had a head wound, which was treated at the scene before he was taken to hospital. He said that, because of the state of the girl and boy after they were found, police had not managed to get full details yet.
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