South Africa: Thousands March to Call for Justice for Raped Child

**No Arrests Yet in Rape Case of Seven-Year-Old in Eastern Cape**

Thousands of students and learners marched in Cape Town and Durban on Tuesday. They demanded justice for a seven-year-old girl raped in the Eastern Cape last October.

In December, the child's mother criticized the police for their slow response. The child attended Bergview College, a private school in Matatiele. It is unclear if the rape occurred at the school.

On Wednesday, SAPS announced that National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola assigned Major General Mmantsheke Lekhele to oversee the investigation. Lekhele is meeting with the investigation team to ensure proper procedures are followed.

Learners and parents joined students from Cape Peninsula University of Technology for a march. They walked from Keizersgracht to the Western Cape Education Department offices and then to Parliament.

In Durban, about 500 protesters marched from Gugu Dlamini Park to provincial education offices. In Cape Town, they handed a memorandum to MEC David Maynier. The memo urged him to pressure the Eastern Cape Education Department to fire the school principal and expedite police action.

Maynier promised to refer the memorandum to relevant national departments. He acknowledged that both SAPS and the Eastern Cape Department of Education are investigating. He emphasized that children must learn in safe environments.

In Durban, Nkosinathi Ngcobo received a similar memorandum from protesters. Nomvula Shale from Siphila Ngomusa Community Development helped draft it. Her organization seeks swift justice for the victim and measures to prevent future incidents.

**Conflicting Statements from SAPS and Afriforum**

On March 29, the Ministry of Police confirmed public concern over social media. They stated that three suspects were identified, including the school principal. All necessary statements have been collected by investigators, and DNA tests were conducted.

However, Barry Bateman from Afriforum claimed that the principal is not a suspect. He stated they would never defend a rapist but insisted that he was not present during the incident.

Bateman expressed frustration over no arrests being made yet. Meanwhile, SAPS reiterated that Lekhele is ensuring proper investigative procedures are followed.

The child's mother shared her story on a podcast called Hope Revolution. She revealed her child was with four men on the day of the rape: her husband, the school principal, a driver, and a caretaker. Only three agreed to DNA testing; results came back negative for them all except for one who refused testing—the principal.

Gerrie Nel from Afriforum advised against providing DNA samples without clear justification for their necessity in this case. He labeled such requests as "irrational" and an "abuse of process."

Last week, Eastern Cape Department of Education MEC Fundile Gade announced plans to deregister Bergview College due to safety violations related to learners' protection. He accused school management of delaying cooperation with police investigations.

Danie van Zyl, chairperson of Bergview College's board of trustees, responded on March 30 by stating they had sought legal advice against deregistration claims made by Gade. He argued that such actions were illegal and invalid under current laws.

At Tuesday's march in Cape Town, CPUT student Lumkile Jongephi highlighted ongoing issues surrounding child abuse across schools nationwide.

He stressed that schools should protect children rather than harm them—echoing sentiments shared by fellow student Sonwabo Philani regarding unacceptable forms of child abuse.