Seething Mitchell’s Plain community members are demanding that bail be denied to a 49 year old man accused of the rape of a 5 year old girl in Mitchell’s Plain. The man made his first appearance at the Mitchells Plain magistrate’s court on Wednesday. He will be held at the Strandfontein police station until his next court appearance on 30th August. Angry community members and activists from the Mitchell’s Plain Crisis Forum picketed outside court on Wednesday morning, calling for justice for the young girl.

The girl was taken to the Mitchell’s Plain police station on Sunday after community members learnt of her rape near the bushes at Kapteinsklip station. The brave young girl informed police officers she knew the suspect and showed them where he lived in Tafelsig.

According to the Forum’s Joanie Fredericks, the suspect’s mother lived three homes away from the girl’s grandmother. Both families are said to be traumatised by the chain of events, but the girl’s family has reached out to the suspect’s family. This led to his subsequent arrest.

“The girl’s family is really supporting his [suspect’s] mother as she is taking it very bad. This is someone they knew for a long time and there was not any scandal or odd behaviour around him. This makes it so much more difficult. The rapist doesn’t have a face or name…he is everywhere,” she told VOC News.

The suspect’s mother has confirmed that he is HIV positive. The child was subsequently treated in at Red Cross Children’s hospital but was released on Wednesday. Her mother was so distressed, that she too had to seek medical attention.

“They have all the support from counsellors and social workers at the Mitchells Plain Crisis Forum but they also have a very close circle of family friends who are there for them,” added Fredericks.

Fredericks said the case is a reminder of the brutal rape cases of Courtney Pieters and Stache Arendse, two of the many children raped and murdered this year. In most of the child rape cases reported in the media this year, the perpetrator was known to the victim and was in a position of trust.

“The community is gatvol [had enough]. They are saying it’s clear that no one is taking them seriously and they are talking about taking the law into their own hands. This particular attack was close to home, especially in Women’s Month. For all of us, it’s like a personal attack. It’s like they [perpetrators] are saying ‘your Women’s Month means nothing to us!’ This is unacceptable.”

The little girl has been hailed for pointing out her perpetrator, which allowed the police to make a swift arrest. Fredericks said the mother made the first call to the newspapers and did not want to treat her case as a ‘family secret’. The family felt strongly that the public must know about her story, so that it could encourage others to report their perpetrators.

“We believe it may not have been the first time he touched a young girl. This was a rallying cry for the family.”

On Sunday 3 September, the Crisis Forum will host an event called ‘White Sunday’ to give a platform to the voices of rape victims and their families. Fredericks said authorities need to hear from the rape survivors and their families, and “not tell them what they think they should hear”. VOC