Four young girls from a tight-knit Eastern Cape community were allegedly raped repeatedly on separate occasions by an unknown number of suspects.Medical tests on three eight-year-old girls and an 11-year-old from Dimbaza showed that each had endured repeated sexual violation.
Police last week arrested a man in connection with one of the alleged rapes while a second suspect arrested on Thursday is due to make an appearance in court today.
Meanwhile, a nine-year-old boy from the community has also told of how he ran for his life on Monday after two knife-wielding men threatened to rape him.
The young rape victims, who cannot be named due to the nature of the crime, are friends.
Two of the girls told social workers, nurses, doctors and police officers they were forced to watch pornography while all four alleged they were given money by their rapists.
Police spokeswoman Lieutenant Siphokazi Mawisa confirmed that police were investigating the cases.
Despite repeatedly telling her elderly grandmother about the sexual assaults, one young victim alleges she did not get any help.
The alleged suspect is known to the girl and was renting a backyard flat at their home.
He allegedly raped her on several occasions.
It was only after concerned residents noticed a change in her behaviour that the matter was reported to police.
“A 20-year-old suspect was arrested on Monday and he appeared at Dimbaza Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday,” Mawisa said.
Asked for comment on community allegations that the man was subsequently released due to a lack of evidence, Mawisa replied: “The release of the suspect is the competency of the Department of Justice as suspect has been released at court.”
The Dispatch was unable to source comment from the department at the time of writing.
Statements to social workers by the Grade 2 pupil led another grandmother to learn that her 11-year-old granddaughter had also allegedly been raped.
Speaking to the Dispatch, the grandmother said social workers approached her saying the first young rape victim had alleged one of her granddaughters had also been raped.
“Immediately after my three granddaughters came back from school last week, I took them to the clinic for tests.
“It was found that one of them had been sexually violated.
“The nurses asked for an ambulance to take us to the police station where we opened a case and went to see doctors at Grey Hospital in King William’s Town on the same night,” the grandmother said.
Shocked by the two cases, residents called for a community meeting on Wednesday where the alleged rapes were reported.
“We were all very shocked by what happened to our children and angry as parents,” resident Athabile Toyi said.
“The suspects are people we know and whom our children trusted as they have been staying in the same area, some even in our backyard.”
Toyi said a decision was taken to test other children from the area at the local clinic.
“We shockingly found that two more girls had been raped and they mentioned new suspects.”
The two girls – both aged eight – were taken to Grey Hospital on Friday for further tests.
Hundreds of residents staged a protest outside the “hiding place” of one of the alleged rapists on Thursday only to find the man had already fled leaving his bags behind.
“Residents made it clear that we don’t want them here, especially after we heard that the children named more suspects.
“We are devastated by what has happened,” community policing forum member Ayanda Mali said.
A second suspect, a 22-year-old man, was arrested on Thursday.
He made a brief appearance in the Dimbaza Magistrate’s Court on Friday and was remanded in custody until today where he will make a second appearance. — mamelag@dispatch.co.za
Young girls in rape shock
Police last week arrested a man in connection with one of the alleged rapes while a second suspect arrested on Thursday is due to make an appearance in court today.
Meanwhile, a nine-year-old boy from the community has also told of how he ran for his life on Monday after two knife-wielding men threatened to rape him.
The young rape victims, who cannot be named due to the nature of the crime, are friends.
Two of the girls told social workers, nurses, doctors and police officers they were forced to watch pornography while all four alleged they were given money by their rapists.
Police spokeswoman Lieutenant Siphokazi Mawisa confirmed that police were investigating the cases.
Despite repeatedly telling her elderly grandmother about the sexual assaults, one young victim alleges she did not get any help.
The alleged suspect is known to the girl and was renting a backyard flat at their home.
He allegedly raped her on several occasions.
It was only after concerned residents noticed a change in her behaviour that the matter was reported to police.
“A 20-year-old suspect was arrested on Monday and he appeared at Dimbaza Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday,” Mawisa said.
Asked for comment on community allegations that the man was subsequently released due to a lack of evidence, Mawisa replied: “The release of the suspect is the competency of the Department of Justice as suspect has been released at court.”
The Dispatch was unable to source comment from the department at the time of writing.
Statements to social workers by the Grade 2 pupil led another grandmother to learn that her 11-year-old granddaughter had also allegedly been raped.
Speaking to the Dispatch, the grandmother said social workers approached her saying the first young rape victim had alleged one of her granddaughters had also been raped.
“Immediately after my three granddaughters came back from school last week, I took them to the clinic for tests.
“It was found that one of them had been sexually violated.
“The nurses asked for an ambulance to take us to the police station where we opened a case and went to see doctors at Grey Hospital in King William’s Town on the same night,” the grandmother said.
Shocked by the two cases, residents called for a community meeting on Wednesday where the alleged rapes were reported.
“We were all very shocked by what happened to our children and angry as parents,” resident Athabile Toyi said.
“The suspects are people we know and whom our children trusted as they have been staying in the same area, some even in our backyard.”
Toyi said a decision was taken to test other children from the area at the local clinic.
“We shockingly found that two more girls had been raped and they mentioned new suspects.”
The two girls – both aged eight – were taken to Grey Hospital on Friday for further tests.
Hundreds of residents staged a protest outside the “hiding place” of one of the alleged rapists on Thursday only to find the man had already fled leaving his bags behind.
“Residents made it clear that we don’t want them here, especially after we heard that the children named more suspects.
“We are devastated by what has happened,” community policing forum member Ayanda Mali said.
A second suspect, a 22-year-old man, was arrested on Thursday.
He made a brief appearance in the Dimbaza Magistrate’s Court on Friday and was remanded in custody until today where he will make a second appearance. — mamelag@dispatch.co.za
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