DA court protest over Soweto gang rape

File photo

File photo

Published Jun 20, 2012

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DA supporters protested outside the Roodepoort Magistrate's Court on Wednesday ahead of the appearance of seven males accused of gang raping a mentally impaired girl.

Members in blue DA T-shirts sang and danced as they waved placards voicing their distaste.

Some of the placards read: “Protect our women and children now” and “Sexual offences court now”.

DA national spokesman Mmusi Maimane, who was leading the crowd, said the case was symbolic enough for society to re-evaluate how it dealt with the issue of rape.

“The sexual offences court has disappeared... we want to see it be reinstated,” Maimane said.

There was a complexity when it came to dealing with sexual offences and more specialised attention was needed, he said.

“The longer the case is prolonged the more traumatic it is for the victims,” said Maimane.

Seven people, including four minors, were arrested in Dobsonville, Soweto on April 17. They matched the descriptions of the rapists seen in a cellphone video recording of a gang rape.

The video of the 17-year-old girl being raped went “viral” on the internet on April 18, and was one of the main topics trending on social networking site Twitter.

Court officials on Wednesday said the matter was likely to be postponed. – Sapa

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