Cape Town - Five minors are raped every day in the Western Cape, according to activists who have been monitoring the numbers, with 1 909 cases reported to police between January and April this year - and the most horrific incident was that of a teenage girl whose attacker allegedly tattooed his name on her private parts before shoving a deodorant bottle into it.
In order to protect this 16-year-old victim, the Weekend Argus will not be mentioning where she lives and rather state that she is from Cape Town.
The attack took place on April 23, 2024 and the perpetrator, a 37-year-old man, was out on parole at the time of the incident, has yet to be arrested.
During the third quarter crimes statistics released by Minister of Police, Bheki Cele in February it was revealed that 4 783 suspects were arrested for sexual offences related crimes such as rape and attempted rape.
Zona Morton, a whistle-blower and crime activist, said there was a pattern where rape victims under the age of 10 were being targeted by sexual predators.
“The scourge of rapes against children under the age 10, is bordering on a pandemic,” she said.
“At least five children are raped in the province daily. A specific case of a teenage girl who was kidnapped and raped repeatedly for 10 months whilst the serial rapist tattooed his name on her genitals and he also violated her with a deodorant cannister.
“This violator of children has a guilty conviction in 2007 and 2013 against his name.
“Why was he enabled to rape and torture another minor in less than 14 years since his first reported rape?
“As a human rights defender, I am horrified that this perpetrator is now not accounted for.”
Western Cape Commissioner for Children, Christina Nomdo, said poverty stricken homes where abuse and social ills flourished, contributed to the numbers: “Sadly, childhoods in South Africa, including in the Western Cape, are marked by violence.
“Addressing this issue requires targeted interventions that address underlying factors such as poverty, inequality and the resultant negative forces that disrupt childhoods.
“The Children's Commissioner consistently emphasises the need for collective and individual responsibility in turning the tide on violence.
“However, the Commissioner is not the front-line service provider to address violence against children.
“The front-line services, like police and the child protection system at the Department of Social Development must do their jobs well to respond when children are violated.
“Activists should hold communities and front-line services to account to do the best they can.”
The Department of Social Development said gender-based violence was a high priority for their officers.
“A Provincial GBV Implementation Plan was adopted by the Western Cape Cabinet in 2021 and an inter-departmental task team appointed to lead its implementation, including the establishment of six new shelters for victims of GBV (all of which can also accommodate members of the LGBTQIA+ community),” DSD said.
“A total of 25 GBV shelters are now funded by the province.
“Since 2019, over 21 000 people per year have received psychosocial support from Thuthuzela Care Centres and DSD-supported GBV shelters.
“A total of nine Thuthuzela Centres are operational across the Western Cape, with the centre at Victoria Hospital expanded, and the expansion of the Stellenbosch centre under way.”
Felicity Roland, who is an activist and rape survivor, said victims often failed to report cases to police due to the lack of training from officers.
“We heard about a police officer who allegedly raped a woman who was attending the academy,” she said.
“He was supposed to be her tutor and he locked the door and he allegedly raped her.
“She was questioned as a victim, why she took a few days before she laid a charge against him. ‘How can we ask such questions to a rape survivor?'
“It is very hard for a victim to make a case, you are going through trauma and you need to build up the courage.
“When you open a case it is like you are being raped again because there is not all the resources and staff who know how to work with these victims.
“We hope the system will change because once a perpetrator is arrested, he is freed again due to a lack of evidence.”