Africa-Press – South-Africa. EFF leader Julius Malema has visited the family of the seven-year-old girl known as Cwecwe who was allegedly raped at Bergview College in the Eastern Cape last year.
During his visit Malema expressed his solidarity and support for the family.
“The EFF stand firmly with Cwecwe and her family in their courageous pursuit of justice,” he said. “What happened to Cwecwe is not only a personal tragedy — it is a reflection of a system that continues to fail our most vulnerable.
“The EFF will not rest until every individual responsible for this barbaric and inhumane act is held accountable. We will ensure that the state institutions which neglected their duty to protect this child are exposed and confronted for their complicity through silence and inaction.”
The case sparked outrage, with some protesting and demanding justice for the girl. While the police are still investigating, no arrests have been made and no suspect has been identified.
Parliament’s portfolio committee on police has previously called out the police for its lack of urgency in the matter.
“This case must serve as a catalyst for a full parliamentary inquiry into [the] SAP’s rape investigation protocol, focusing on the capacity of the family violence, child protection and sexual offences units, the chronic delays in forensic processing, and the collapse of co-ordination with public health services,” committee member Rebecca Mohlala of the EFF said.
“If we don’t confront this dysfunction head-on, if we allow the police to remain unaccountable, then the blood of future victims will not only stain the conscience of this institution but that of the entire state.”
Last month police minister Senzo Mchunu apologised to Bergview principal Jaco Pieters for implicating him as a possible suspect in the case.
“As the minister of police, I take responsibility for the statement in question. I would like to assure you that it was issued in good faith and there was no malicious intent whatsoever. I authorised the issuing of the statement on the basis of information I had received, and I had no reason not to believe in the truthfulness of the information that was placed before me,” he said.
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