Cape Town – At what was supposed to be the start of a historic trial, with South Africa's oldest sexual abuse case being heard at the Wynberg Magistrate's Court today, legal representatives for the defence brought a doctor’s letter stating one of the accused could not attend.
The case was postponed to early December due to the unavailability of defence lawyer Leon van der Merwe.
Sisters Lisa van der Merwe and Claudine Shiels said they were allegedly sexually abused by two relatives from 1974 to 1979.
It was after the cabinet approved the introduction of a bill last year, aimed at amending the Criminal Procedure Act to see sexual offences prosecuted retrospectively, that the sisters decided to seek justice.
“There was a general feeling of disappointment but the sisters are not deterred and neither are we as their supporters. They will have their day in court,” said Women and Men against Child Abuse director Miranda Jordan.
Shiels said she would never be able to heal until someone takes responsibility for what they did.