Eusebius McKaiser slams ‘shocking’ Dros statement on child rape

Restaurant franchise Dros on Tuesday released a media statement on the shocking rape of a child at their Silverton branch.

A statement released by Dros following the shocking rape of a 6-year-old girl in the bathroom of the chain’s branch in Silverton.

The statement has been attacked by well-known 702 radio host Eusebius McKaiser, who has called it shocking and says it “lacks empathy and uses sanitised language.”

McKaiser said the statement showed “zero compassion and examination of whether the place is child-friendly”.

The author and also took the media to task for their reporting on the incident as an “alleged rape”.

READ MORE: Girl, 6, allegedly raped in men’s toilet of Pretoria eatery

The Citizen reported on the matter this way earlier this week, in a story by Rorisang Kgosana. Kgosana since took to Twitter to defend her use of the term, saying she was only adhering to media law.

Kgosana clarified this further when approached.

“When writing about someone who is a suspect, according to media law, that person is allegedly responsible for the act, until it is proven otherwise by the courts. The act is still an allegation until the court rules the suspect is guilty or not.

“Even though the 20-year-old man was caught after the rape at the Dros, the matter has not been proven in court. Until then, he is innocent until proven guilty,” she said.

The incident has shocked a country where the rape of children is already shockingly prevalent.

The man reportedly “stalked the child” in the restaurant’s play area, following her into the bathroom.

“He allegedly snatched her from the female restroom, blocked her mouth and took her to the men’s restroom where he raped her,” a witness said.

The child’s mother then became worried about her daughter. She looked for her in the women’s toilets before hearing a noise in the men’s toilets. She caused a commotion and the man eventually opened the door, finding both the man and the girl naked and the girl bleeding from the groin.

The man’s actions unsurprisingly enraged those at the restaurant and he was immediately assaulted by several patrons.

Additional reporting by Rorisang Kgosana  

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