A baby, only six weeks old, was allegedly raped by her maternal uncle in Kimberley, South Africa.

One of the most disturbing examples of human cruelty in recent times involved the infant who was born on Oct 17. The baby is under intensive care at Kimberley Hospital after she was admitted on Wednesday. She had to go through an emergency surgery so that the injuries she suffered due to the alleged rape could be repaired.

iOL News reports that the baby was put down to sleep at their Galeshewe home by her mother, 22. She sat in the lounge with her mother and watched TV. According to one of the relatives of the baby, the mother heard her cry and went to see what was wrong with her. However, she did not find the baby in the bedroom while the bedroom curtains were removed. She thought that her baby had been abducted and started screaming.

Meanwhile, the grandmother heard the baby's cry coming off a shack in the backyard. When she pushed the door open, her son (24) ran out zipping his pants up. The grandmother screamed and then other relatives rushed to the spot. The relative said that the baby was lying naked when she reached there. The baby was crying as there was excessive bleeding. She covered the baby in a blanket. Thereafter, the baby was rushed to hospital.

People in the neighbourhood were prompt to hunt for the man accused and caught him. The baby/s maternal uncle apparently took her out of the room through the window. The heinous act of the man enraged the local people who threatened to kill him. However, the grandmother stopped them and pleaded for her son's life. The logic she gave in support of her son was that he was mentally unstable.

The suspect appeared in court on Nov 28. However, the case for a probable bail application has been postponed until Dec 12.