Community members and school children marched to the Mamelodi Police station in solidarity with Katlego “Katli” Joja whose body was found under a bridge on Sunday afternoon after she went missing on Thursday, 9 May 2018, marchers under the #NotInMyName handed over a memorandum to Mamelodi West police station for the inquest to be dealt with speedily, Pretoria. Picture: Jacques Nelles
It was among the most depressing, least hopeful stories to come out of South Africa this year – the horrific rape of a 7-year-old girl in the bathroom of a Dros franchise in Pretoria.
But the family of the victim is experiencing a small silver lining by way of a crowd-funding campaign, started by someone who wishes to remain anonymous. So far over R110,000 has been raised for the victim’s rehabilitation.
The money should come as a welcome relief at an extremely difficult time for the family, and they may also find hope in the messages left by those who have donated. The page sees South Africans of all cultures and races come together in an expression of love and empathy for the young victim, and an expression of their heartfelt desire to see her recover.
You can donate money to the campaign and read the heart-warming messages here.
READ MORE: Johannesburg fire widow raises over R30 000 from crowdfunding
“There have been one or two really big donations of ten thousand rand or more, and then there have been people who have donated twelve rand, but everyone leaves a really beautiful message,” the anonymous woman who started the campaign said. She warned anyone wishing to read the comments that they will probably cry.
BackaBuddy spokesperson Zane Groenewald told TimesLive that they are “delighted” with the campaign.
“Having spoken to the family representative (on Thursday) morning‚ we understand how much this means to them during a very difficult time in their lives. And although financial means won’t minimise their pain‚ we hope it will have a positive impact on them going forward.
“We have been overwhelmed by the support the people of South Africa have given to a cause that has touched us all in different ways.”
The Citizen has chosen not to publish further details on the horrific case that inspired the crowdfunding campaign in what is an otherwise uplifting story. Those details are available on The Citizen as well as other South African media sites.
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