Dumped rape docket: Cops charged
A rape docket which was opened in 2016, was discovered in Lwamondo by a passerby
LIMPOPO – The family of a 17-year-old girl who was raped in 2016, accuse the police of negligence after the case docket of the incident that happened in Lwamondo Khumbe, was recently found dumped.
The docket was discovered by a passerby in bushes in Lwamondo, when he went to fetch firewood. Three policemen of the Thohoyandou Sexual Offences Unit now face charges of negligence and defeating the ends of justice.
The mother of the victim says they had not received any update on their daughter’s rape case over the last four years.”Since the case was opened in 2016, police investigating officers visited the family only once. When we reported the case, we had expected that they would give us an update or arrest the suspect,” said the mother, whose identity is withheld to protect her daughter.
Victor Mavhidula from the Human Rights Commission expressed his shock at the incident, while a gender activist, Rinae Sengani of the Riri Sengani Foundation believes the implicated officers must be dismissed as their actions show they are not serious about gender-based violence. “Putting them on suspension is not good enough. We need an expulsion where those people will not go back to that work environment because they do not deserve to be there. They do not deserve to protect victims of gender-based violence, they just do not belong in the SAPS. So, we would want to make sure that we get those people totally removed from law enforcement,” she says.
Sengani agrees with the rape survivor’s family that dumping her docket where anyone could see it, is secondary victimisation.
Limpopo Police Spokesperson, Brig Motlafela Mojapelo said that the police service in Limpopo takes all incidents of gender-based violence seriously and when such cases are reported, they are prioritised to ensure possible speedy detection.
He said that the discovery of a docket concerning the rape case of a 17-year-old girl prompted the provincial police management to immediately launch an internal investigation into the matter.
Mojapelo said that the docket was opened at the Vuwani Police Station on 10 August 2016 after the then 17-year-old girls was raped by an unknown suspect. “The victim was allegedly sleeping in a house at Lwamondo village when an intruder entered through the window and raped her.” He said that the docket was then handed over to the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) for further handling. “After lengthy investigations, the docket was closed as a suspect could not be identified and traced. Closing the docket as undetected is an administrative process and does not in any way suggest that it is the end of the case. Anytime new evidence comes to light, the case will then be reinstated and investigations will proceed,” he explained.
He added that when cases are opened at any police station and investigations commence, it is the duty of the investigating officer to keep the victims or complainants abreast about the progress of the investigations. Whether or not this was done, will be determined by the unfolding internal investigations and appropriate measures will consequently be taken. The officials were charged with defeating the ends of justice, and negligence for losing a case docket, he confirmed.
They will also face internal disciplinary processes.
