Parents of rape victim plead with court

The parents of a 7-year-old rape victim comfort each other outside the Durban Magistrate’s Court after the suspect’s appearance on Monday morning.PIicture: Se-Anne Rall

The parents of a 7-year-old rape victim comfort each other outside the Durban Magistrate’s Court after the suspect’s appearance on Monday morning.PIicture: Se-Anne Rall

Published Feb 14, 2017

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Durban - A Sydenham family is appealing to a court to let the man accused of raping their 7-year-old daughter rot in jail.

The 56-year-old man was arrested on January 23 for allegedly raping the girl at his shack at the Foreman Road informal settlement.

The accused, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the young victim, appeared in court for the second time on Monday when he abandoned his bail application.

Speaking to the Daily News, the girl’s stepfather said the family and the accused once shared a close bond.

“He would come to our house when he needed water or something to eat, that is how close we were. I had such great respect for him and would call him my brother. I knew him long before he moved to the Sydenham area. So when he came to Durban, I assisted in getting him a place to stay,” the man said.

Last month, the stepfather noticed that the 7-year-old was urinating frequently. Suspecting that something was wrong, he asked the mother to check the girl.

“She saw that the girl’s private parts were swollen

and red. We took her to the clinic and were told the child may have been raped and to rather take her to Addington Hospital. We did that and it was confirmed that she was raped. She told the social worker how she was raped,” said the stepfather.

He added that the child had refused to tell her mother about the ordeal because she had been threatened by her attacker.

The girl was at home and refused to go to school because other pupils were asking her questions about the incident.

George Bonono, of shack dwellers movement Abahlali baseMjondolo, was at the court to support the family and to oppose bail.

He said the movement had handed a letter to the magistrate calling for a harsh sentence.

Meanwhile, a man appeared in the Ntuzuma court on Monday for the murder of a child.

Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbhele said the girl had been on her way home from school on Wednesday afternoon when her stepfather called her.

“That was the last time that the child was seen.

“The community looked for the girl and the child’s body was found on Friday in nearby bushes,” said Mbhele. Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, said the case was adjourned for further investigation.

Daily News

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