A 14-year-old girl, who was allegedly raped by a 48-year-old man in Tembisa two months ago, is no longer attending school.
The child was in grade 7 at a local primary school. A teacher, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the staff has tried all they can to help her.
“We called the parents on several occasions to try and help the victim because she is a very bright pupil, but they did not respond,” he said.
Some of the victim’s classmates claim to have heard rumours that the child is married to the 48-year-old, who does not want her to attend school.
“At first she used to miss school for a week and come back, but now we do not even see her at home,” one of her former classmates.
Sources within the family say the girl is living with the man.
“We contacted the Tembisa SAPS about the situation, but their efforts to bring her back home were unsuccessful,” said one of the family members.
The Tembisa SAPS communications officer, Mr Manyadza Ralidzhivha, confirmed that they know about the case.
He said the police cannot arrest the man for statutory rape as the victim’s parents have refused to open a case.
“As a minor, teachers at the school she was attending should have contacted social workers immediately when they realised the child has a problem.
According to the Children’s Act, there are steps to be followed when dealing with such cases,” said Mr Ralidzhivha.
The Tembisan contacted the department of social services in Germiston and alerted them about the girl’s condition and they responded immediately.
Ms Phumla Nkosi, from the department, said she had requested social workers to contact the family.
On Thursday last week, Ms Nkosi said, “Note that the girl was taken to a place of safety, but she ran away when the social workers took her to the hospital for assesment. The police are still looking for her.”
