Africa-Press – South-Africa. An Eastern Cape man has been arrested for allegedly forcing six boys to have sex with his sheep in a kraal at his Lukholo Village home in Mbizana.
The 65-year-old appeared in the Mbizana Magistrate’s Court on Monday after his arrest on Friday.
The case was postponed until 4 May for a formal bail application.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Thembinkosi Kinana said police arrested the man and charged him with compelled rape for forcing the boys, aged 9 to 12, to commit the act.
The arrest comes after a well-known children’s rights advocacy group in the Eastern Cape alerted Social Development MEC Siphokazi Mani-Lusithi and provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nomthetheleli Mene about the incident.
The Khula Community Development Project (KCDP) commended the police’s swift reaction.
KCDP director Petros Majola said: “I got distress calls from parents of the boys informing me about this disturbing incident. I interviewed one of the parents and one of the boys and indeed the boy confirmed the incident.”
Mani-Lusithi said the department would deploy social workers to offer psychosocial support to the children and their families.
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She added that she viewed the alleged incident as part of the general degeneration of the social fibre in South African society.
Mani-Lusithi added that civil society, religious leaders, and government leaders must work together to develop programmes of moral regeneration to prevent more cases.
“We must also strengthen our justice system and judicial system to act with decisiveness with perpetrators of GBV and such inhumane acts,” Mani-Lusithi added.
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Majola called on the justice system to move with speed and purpose to give the victims justice.
The matter is being investigated by the police’s Family Violence, Child Abuse, and Sexual Assault Unit.
Meanwhile, the SPCA described the allegations as disgusting and called on the courts to escalate the case to a higher court.
SPCA Qonce manager Annette Rademeyer said:
Rademeyer said it was disturbing to note that sexual offences involving animals were becoming common.
“I hope he gets the maximum penalty the law allows,” Rademeyer added.
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