KANYAMAZANE – Residents of Ntokozweni Section are furious after a 25-year-old man allegedly raped his seven-year-old stepchild over the weekend.
According to relatives, the incident happened at around 03:00 on Sunday in the house shared by the 23-year-old mother, stepdad and the victim. They alleged that the mother and child were sleeping while the stepfather was out drinking.
“The victim’s mother got the shock of her life after she apparently found her partner naked holding his underwear and her little girl crying,” said the source.
“When she checked her daughter’s private parts, there were no signs of bleeding,” continued the source.
She added that the child was taken to KaNyamazane Police Station where they were referred to the local clinic.
“After being examined at the clinic, it was confirmed that the child had been raped and that it was not the first penetration,” she continued.
The source said when the child was interrogated, she supposedly confirmed that her stepdad had touched her inappropriately previously and would at times offer her a 50-cent coin. He’d warn her never to tell anyone otherwise he would beat her.
“I don’t know what has gotten into him to do such a thing because he has been a father to the child ever since she was a little baby and regarded her as her own,” she said.
The local police confirmed the arrest of the man in connection with the rape of his stepchild.
“He is expected to appear in court soon and the investigation into the matter continues,” said WO Andries Skwambane, spokesperson for the local SAPS.
Skwambane further praised the mother for opening a case with the police.
“The incident is shocking and disturbing mostly because we have had several outreaches and door-to-door campaigns in Ntokozweni, it clearly shows that indoor cases are not easily manageable unless we have inside information,” he added.
The site www.wikipedia.org shows that the global prevalence of child sexual abuse has been estimated at 19,7 per cent for females and 7,9 per cent for males, according to a 2009 study published in the Clinical Psychology Review that comprised 65 studies in 22 countries.
“Using the available data, the highest prevalence of child sexual abuse geographically was found in Africa
(34,4 per cent), primarily because of high rates in South Africa while Europe showed the lowest prevalence (9,2 per cent),” according to the site.
