Long wait for justice

A mother who caught her then-boyfriend in the act of raping her 13-year-old daughter in March 2020 was back in the Brakpan Magistrate’s Court on Monday for the continuation of trial following an almost two-year wait on DNA results.

This is according to the non-profit child protection organisation, Women and Men Against Child Abuse (WMACA).

“After many postponements, the prosecutor informed the mother the case is expected to continue with the doctor’s testimony,” reads a statement from the organisation.

“WMACA would like to see the case proceed past systemic issues that are beyond the control of the courts and the victims.

“The status of the forensic services (responsible for DNA profiling in criminal cases) on which courts rely heavily, especially in cases of child sexual abuse, is appalling.

“In sexual abuse cases, DNA may be the only evidence that can speak on behalf of the child and increase the chances of justice being served.

“The biggest frustration has been the incomprehensible wait of forensic services and the unfair expectation for victims to bear with the malfunctioning system even after the 2019 call by president Cyril Ramaphosa that promised efforts to strengthen the criminal justice system to function in a manner that does not subject victims of gender-based violence to secondary trauma.”

The accused remains out on bail. The case was postponed to July 4.

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