Retselisitsoe Kotelo, a 22-year-old sangoma from Qabane, Ha Kajeng appeared before the Qacha;s Nek Magistrate Court charged with rape. He is accused of allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl several times from 2021 to January 2024 and abducting her late last month. The two are said to be a couple.

Senior Magistrate, Ts;eliso Bale granted him a M1 000 bail on conditions of not interfering with state witnesses, not hamper police investigations, attend remands and stand trial to finality. In an interview with Agency, Sergeant Mamatheko Bohloa, Human Trafficking Unit Focal Person who is also Child and Gender Protection Unit (CGPU) Officer expressed concern in child marriage incidences occurring in hard-to-reach areas.

In Lesotho, the incidences of child marriages stand at 24 percent, according to the 2016 Lesotho Census report. Though lower than many other countries, the figure still paints a gloomy picture of the situation in Lesotho.  Many viewed the move by the then Ministry of Social Development to amend the Child Protection and Welfare Act of 2011 to criminalise child marriage as a positive step towards ending child marriages. However, the 10th parliament dissolved before finalising the amendment and the Agency learnt that the same law is currently in parliament. The case continues.