George Mukhari Hospital CEO admits 'gaps' in handling of alleged toddler rape

#NotInMyName founder and leader Siyabulela Jentile leading a picket at the Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital, northwest of Pretoria, where a child was allegedly raped. Photo: Jonisayi Maromo/African News Agency )ANA)

#NotInMyName founder and leader Siyabulela Jentile leading a picket at the Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital, northwest of Pretoria, where a child was allegedly raped. Photo: Jonisayi Maromo/African News Agency )ANA)

Published Jul 12, 2020

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PRETORIA – Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital chief executive Dr Richard Lebethe says he was kept in the dark about the alleged rape of a two-year-old girl at the hospital in June until it was reported in the media because of "gaps” in his hospital’s handling of the matter.

On Friday, Lebethe told a crowd of #NotInMyName activists protesting outside the hospital in Ga-Rankuwa, northwest of Pretoria, that he was only informed about the incident – allegedly when the little girl was admitted for coronavirus (Covid-19) tests – weeks after it happened.

"I suppose you would like to know how I, as the CEO, got to know about this. I got to know about this thing on Wednesday last week, and it was through an enquiry from the media. That virtually shocked me, and at that stage I started questioning around about the case,” Lebethe told the crowd.

He later told the African News Agency (ANA) that there was a "gap” in the hospital’s communication, which only made him aware of the incident at a later stage.

“I think there was a gap. I think the gap came up when [the child was brought] to casualty and when the aunt took them [from the hospital] to go to the police station. The correct thing was, at that stage, it should have [been] reported. Usually, my way of dealing with things is that I deal with them instantly, as soon as they are reported,” Lethebe said.

He conceded that the delay in attending to the child, and the time which elapsed before examination and collection of evidence, had a negative effect on the criminal investigation.

“If you deal with it instantly, it results in you not losing out on the information. If we are looking for evidence, things like DNA and semen, it is best when it is taken instantly. But it is not that much compromise, because we know that these days people have a tendency of using condoms and the like, so the clinical investigations have a tendency of being capable of looking beyond the DNA evidence,” he said.

A police vehicle outside Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital, northwest of Pretoria. #NotInMyName activists staged a picket to protest against the alleged rape of a two-year-old girl at the hospital. Photo: Jonisayi Maromo/African News Agency (ANA)

When the child's family members were referred back to the hospital after the mother discovered "whitish stuff" coming out of the child’s private parts, the hospital should have attended to the child, he said.

“The clinic told the family to come back to Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital. Telling their story to this casualty [unit] here, the sister [nurse] decided that this case needed police. So they called the police. They waited and waited for the police and apparently later on the child’s aunt came in and after she found out that the police were not coming she decided to take them to the police station,” said Lebethe.

“The family then left the hospital. As they left, the nurse decided to talk to a [hospital] supervisor who then said to her, 'you were not supposed to release them and you were supposed to call a doctor of higher order to come and examine the child'. But at that time they had already left. The hospital then called the family and requested them to come back,” he said.

#NotInMyName founder and leader Siyabulela Jentile said South Africa was experiencing “a level of impunity” from rapists because the law did not always take its course, citing the rape allegations made against South African Football Association (Safa) president Danny Jordaan two years ago.

In March 2018, almost five months after singer and former Member of Parliament Jennifer Ferguson publicly accused Jordaan of sexually assaulting her in a hotel in Port Elizabeth more than 25 years ago, she went ahead and laid a charge of rape against him.

“There is a culture of impunity now deeply entrenched in this country. In fact, when we leave George Mukhari Hospital, we will be going to Safa House. We all want to know what happened to that case of Danny Jordaan. A woman came out and said she was raped, now all of a sudden, we don’t know what happened.

“It is alleged that the funds that were supposed to be used for the development of South African football were used to pay people to make a rape case disappear. We want answers. We are going to challenge every rapist in this country,” Jentile said.

Jordaan, a former mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay, has repeatedly denied the accusation.

Also in 2018, a second woman accused Jordaan of a sexual offence. The woman, an author, alleged that Jordaan groped her, tried to force himself on her, and attempted to rip off her underwear in the boardroom of a five-star Sandton hotel in March 2011 where she was interviewing him for her soccer-related book project.

The woman was allegedly saved by a waiter knocking at the door. 

African News Agency (ANA)

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