MASOYI – Rape has turned out to be a part of everyday life in this region after it was recently revealed by the police that with more than 50 sexual-assault cases, the area topped the list.
Residents of Mahushu were shocked when a 15-year-old girl was chased away from home because she refused to sleep with her stepfather.
She alleged that the man was over the moon when her mother got a new job in Barberton as she would now only come home on weekends.
“He always ignored me when my mother was around, but when she went to Barberton, he started giving me his undivided attention.
There were offers of money until one day he called me to his room where I found him half naked. He asked me to sleep with him and said if I agreed, he would buy me a pair of Carvela shoes,” she explained.
She alleged that her stepfather persisted, but she refused and alluded to the fact that she respected him as her father – mentioning that she wouldn’t share a man with her mother.
Two weeks ago, she had the shock of her life when she returned from school and while changing her clothes, he entered the bedroom and tried to rape her.
The girl said she sprayed deodorant in his eyes. After that, he allegedly kicked her out of the house – that was when she reported the matter to the police. In another incident, a 13-year-old girl was reportedly used as a sex slave by her biological father.
This came to light when the grade eight learner of Kusile Combined School felt she couldn’t take it any longer and reported the abuse to one of the staff members.
The teacher then told local social workers. After receiving the tip-off, local police didn’t hesitate to arrest the father and charged him with statutory rape. This newspaper learnt that after the child’s mother had passed away a few years ago, she remained in the care of the father.
Speaking to this reporter, spokesperson for Masoyi police station, Const Nanikie Nonyane, confirmed the matter and stated the child was in a place of safety while the father had been arrested.
MEC for community safety, Mr Vusi Shongwe, condemned the incidents, “Ngithanda ukusho ukuthi indlela abaziphatha ngayo yebulwane, as I don’t believe that a human being can behave like that. It’s an act of satanism. Real men and fathers don’t see their children as wives.
Fathers are supposed to protect their children at all times. We can’t tolerate such behaviour, we are not going to allow that to happen. It is totally unacceptable,” he concluded.
