A Whatsapp alert led police to a shack where an 11-year-old mentally disabled girl had been tied up to stop her from leaving.
Police found her half-naked, in tears and she had soiled herself.
The girl, who cannot talk, is from Komanish village in Kwelerha, outside East London. Her 48-year-old mother was not present when authorities arrived on Tuesday morning to rescue her.
East London police spokeswoman Warrant Officer Hazel Mqala said when police arrived at the scene they found the child with no water or food to eat. A rope was tied to her right ankle, with the other end fixed to a pole.
Female police officers untied her, gave her a bath and took her to the Gonubie police station.
Komanish village resident Fumanekile Williams said the mother, a farmworker, left “home at 6am and returns just after 6pm”.
“This has been happening for the past two years,” he said.
“For two years we reported this abuse to social development and for two years they did nothing.”
Eastern Cape department of social development spokesman Mzukisi Solani said the girl had been transferred to Fort Beaufort “temporarily”. — zwangam@
dispatch.co.za
Mentally disabled girl tied up, alone
Police found her half-naked, in tears and she had soiled herself.
The girl, who cannot talk, is from Komanish village in Kwelerha, outside East London. Her 48-year-old mother was not present when authorities arrived on Tuesday morning to rescue her.
East London police spokeswoman Warrant Officer Hazel Mqala said when police arrived at the scene they found the child with no water or food to eat. A rope was tied to her right ankle, with the other end fixed to a pole.
Female police officers untied her, gave her a bath and took her to the Gonubie police station.
Komanish village resident Fumanekile Williams said the mother, a farmworker, left “home at 6am and returns just after 6pm”.
“This has been happening for the past two years,” he said.
“For two years we reported this abuse to social development and for two years they did nothing.”
Eastern Cape department of social development spokesman Mzukisi Solani said the girl had been transferred to Fort Beaufort “temporarily”. — zwangam@
dispatch.co.za
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