Cape Town – The Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) has distanced itself from a senior City of Cape Town official who has been detained on rape charges.
The official, Raphael Martin, 54, was arrested on charges of allegedly raping a 13-year-old Strandfontein girl over a period of three years. He appeared in court on Friday and is set to make his second court appearance next week, in which he will bring forth a formal bail application.
The official, who is said to be a former member of MK, was branded an "enemy" of the armed wing after he was allegedly found to be an "agent" in the 1980s.
MKMVA national spokesperson Carl Niehaus said in a statement on Tuesday the suspected official infiltrated the armed wing in the late 1980s, but “he was exposed as an enemy agent and ostracised. From 1990 onwards all contact with him was severed”.
The organisation called for the law to take its course and for the police and National Prosecuting Authority to ensure justice was served. It also stated that should the official be found guilty, the harshest sentence should be imposed upon him.
“The members of MKMVA, as ex-MK combatants, have a proud history of standing firm in opposing any violence against women and children.
“MKMVA is fully part of the nationwide movement to protest against gender-based violence (GBV),” Niehaus said.
The association also urged people to expose their abusers, regardless of their status or title.
“We are aware that there are men who joined our struggle against gender-based violence in public yet continue to abuse women partners in private. This must stop,” the association said.
African News Agency (ANA)