Daughter of well-known apartheid cop, 80, lays sexual assault charge against dad

The daughter of a well-known apartheid-era policeman has laid charges of historical child abuse against her 80-year-old father, a statement on her behalf said.

She decided to go public about the abuse she says she endured between 1972 and 1976, and filed charges in Wynberg on Tuesday.

The case is expected to be forwarded to Pretoria since the crimes were committed whilst her father was based at the SA Police’s headquarters at the time of the abuse.

She contacted Women and Men Against Child Abuse (WMACA) after recent historical child abuse cases, which include the case of the “Frankel 8” and the subsequent amendment to the law that overrules the 20-year prescription of sex-related crimes other than rape or compelled pornography.

She may not be named in terms of media law which prohibits identifying the accused until they have pleaded to a sex-related crime.

WMACA applauded the daughter of the policeman in taking the step not just for herself, but for other victims of child abuse.

“When I was subjected to this abuse, we as children were so dominated not to speak out and did not have the support now offered by organisations such as Women & Men Against Child Abuse,” she said in a statement.

“Part of my drive to act now, are all those adults and children who don’t have voices to come forward. I now realize it doesn’t matter how far back this happened – do this for yourself and others that needs the courage to bring this into the open so that we can teach other parents and children to always be on the watch out for these predators.

“It can happen anywhere with any child… boy or girl.”

Sisters Claudine Shiels and Lisa van der Merwe have also laid charges against two men they are accusing of indecent assault when they were a child, also following the Frankel 8 judgment.

At a press conference ahead of Shiels and Van der Merwe’s case, WMACA founding director Miranda Jordan said it is not unusual for people to take pity on the people being accused because of their age, or for pleas that they get a lesser sentence because they are old.

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