Following the alleged rape of a ten year old KZN girl a South African Child Rights activist says the spotlight should be on prevention.
Cape Town – A Khayelitsha mother shocked her family when she decided to support her boyfriend who is accused of raping her 14-year-old daughter.
The name of the suspect cannot be revealed as the case involves a minor.
According to the family, the teen was staying with the couple in Litha Park from 2017 till December 2020. When she visited her family in the Eastern Cape during the December holidays in 2020, she refused to return to Cape Town citing abuse.
She threatened to take her own life if they sent her back.
Her grandmother then enrolled her in a school there.
“Teachers picked up on abnormal behaviour from her,” said the relative. “They then decided to befriend her so that she could open up. She revealed that in the years she was staying in Cape Town, she was sexually assaulted by her mother’s boyfriend.”
The family told the girl’s mother, whom they say, called her daughter names and said that she was a liar.
What left the family more puzzled is that the woman is supporting the suspect, as she is employed while the suspect is not.
They said they would understand if she feared that she would lose financial support from him.
“She never showed interest in the case. She is not even the complainant.”
The man appeared at the Khayelitsha Magistrate’s Court Friday facing rape charges.
The teen’s mother was also in attendance.
When asked by the Weekend Argus why she was supporting someone accused of raping her daughter she said: “Where did you get that? I said the law must take its course.”
She declined to answer further questions about the matter.
The court appearance happened as police minister Bheki Cele announced that 9 516 rape cases were opened with SAPS, between April and June 2022.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila confirmed that the accused appeared at the Khayelitsha Magistrates Court.
“The case was postponed to 25 August 2022. The State will oppose the accused’s bail application if he exercises his right to apply for bail.”
Siya Monakali from Ilitha Labantu said incidents of this nature occur far more often than one would expect, and it is sad that the mother would choose her intimate partner over the wellbeing of her child.
“This is a constant reminder that we need to urgently prioritise the protection of our children. As an organisation, we appeal to our criminal justice system to impose the harshest sentence on the accused so that justice can be served. Cases of this nature often fall under the radar because children's voices are silent due to the lack of power they have in our society.”
Women are expected to picket outside court when the suspect appears next week.