A 55-year-old man is fighting for his life in a Kroonstad hospital, after falsely being accused of raping a 10-year-old child.
Spokesperson Brigadier MS Makhele says a concerned mother made contact with police after her daughter claims she was raped by a known man in the community.
Police quickly responded and eventually found the badly wounded man on the ground. His house was also torched during the attack.
Makhele says when the child and her family were interviewed by police, it was discovered that the child had actually lied about being raped so as to conceal her whereabouts on the day.
The innocent man, who is now also homeless, is still in hospital.
Police are investigating a case of assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
