A 12-year-old KwaMashu girl is receiving treatment and having sleepless nights after she was raped by a group of teenagers.
According to the girl, who cannot be named, she had been asked by a neighbour’s friend to accompany her to fetch her cellphone from a friend’s house.
“When we got there, there were about 20 boys smoking weed,” she said.
“She told me we would not stay long. When I asked to leave because it was getting late, she made me go with her to a bedroom where her cellphone was.”
The victim said when they got to the bedroom, the girl called the teenagers in the room and they stopped her from leaving.
She believed that eight teenagers had raped her; however, police said they were investigating a case regarding only two suspects, who are also believed to be minors.
“I battled to escape but I was held down and the teenagers took turns raping me,” she said.
Provincial police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Vincent Mdunge confirmed that the KwaMashu Family Violence Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit was investigating two rape charges against two boys but said the information that more than two perpetrators were involved in the crime was unfounded.
“We are looking for the two suspects but no arrests have been made at this stage,” said Mdunge.
The girl’s mother was outraged and called on the police to make an arrest soon.
“My child has been raped and the people that committed the crime are out there. She did not go to school yesterday. She is struggling to cope and this is really painful for our family.”
Social Development MEC Weziwe Thusi expressed concern at the recent spate of rapes in the in the province.
Thusi said communities should stand up and protect the vulnerable from being victims of abuse.
“We also call on parents to be on the lookout for any changes in the behaviour of their children as these may be symptoms of abuse so that necessary support could be provided at an early stage,” she said. - The Mercury