South Africa erupts in rally to seek justice for 7-year-old girl raped in school last year

Thousands of people rallied across South Africa on Tuesday in support of a seven-year-old girl allegedly raped at school last year and to demand justice for the child.

The girl, now aged eight, was allegedly raped in October last year but the case only attracted huge attention about two weeks ago after her mother detailed of what happened in a podcast and in local media, demanding authorities take action.

No arrests have been made so far.

But South Africa’s police minister Senzo Mchunu said last week that police were investigating with “utmost seriousness and priority” and had identified three suspects, including staff at the school in the Eastern Cape province.

More than 2,000 people marched through the centre of Cape Town, with thousands more at protests in other major centres such as Pretoria, Johannesburg and Durban.

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“I have no trust in our justice system, it has always failed us,” said Janine de Vos, a mother-of-two who was at the Cape Town demonstration.

South Africa battles high rates of abuse against women and children.

One in three women in the country experiences physical or sexual abuse in their lifetimes, according to United Nations figures.

Few perpetrators are brought to justice.

Of the 42,500 rapes reported in 2023-24, 17,100 involved child victims, according to police figures.

In the same year the National Prosecuting Authority only brought 449 child rape cases to trial, according to its own figures.

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In a similar case, police said on Tuesday they had arrested a primary school teacher accused of raping a 13-year-old learner in the north of the country.

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube told journalists Tuesday the government had to ensure “that sexual predators … are not included as staff members at a school” and are vetted against the sexual offenders register.

The government had promised to make public by the end of February the national register of convicted sexual offenders, but the process has stalled due to legal delays.