The parents of an Eastern Cape teenager have been summoned to meet police on Wednesday to discuss the future of their 16-year-old daughter.
The Grade 9 learner was removed by police from a remote rural area near Ngcobo on Tuesday after allegedly being forced into an arranged marriage.
Eastern Cape police spokesperson, Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana, said the young woman was taken to a place of safety at an undisclosed location.
He said members of the local community of Mpindweni had "mobilized" in anticipation of the arrival of the police, but he said they were determined to ensure that the child was rescued from her situation.
Eastern Cape Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Liziwe Ntshinga, said police recognise the constitutional right of people to their culture and customs.
However, she said the SAPS has an obligation to step in "when that right is abused and found to be in conflict with the rights of a girl child to education and (her) childhood".
(Pic: SAPS)
