A 38-year-old man has been detained for raping his 14-year-old cousin.

This comes after he allegedly made a confession of the sexual assault to the victim's family.

The Ladysmith man allegedly raped the boy to stop his “gay tendencies”, reports said.

According to KwaZulu-Natal social development MEC, Nonhlanhla Khoza the alleged sexual assault happened on January 3 and the suspect was arrested on Tuesday, TimesLIVE reported.

The family opened a case after the alleged suspect told them he raped his younger cousin because he wanted him to stop his “gay tendencies”.

The victim was taken to a hospital for medical attention, the report said.

“We cannot afford to have such people in our society. What kind of a person abuses a child without being remorseful, to the extent that he gloats about his abhorrent act?,” Khoza was quoted as saying.

According to IOL, Khoza commended the swift action of the police, which led to the man’s arrest and called for a harsh sentence for the alleged culprit.

She called on authorities to give the perpetrator a harsh sentence and urged the courts to grant no bail to the suspect, the report said.

“We are grateful that the police managed to arrest the man. We need to secure conviction so that an example can be made with such people. We welcome the man’s arrest and he must face the full might of the law,” the report quoted Khoza as saying.

A team of social workers had since been sent to the boy and his family to provide psycho-social support, Khoza added.

Sources: africaninsider