EVERY now and then, there are incidents or events that call on us as a country to unite behind a common goal.

We are not only referring to things that make everyone happy like the Springboks winning a crucial rugby game against the All Blacks or retaining the World Cup, or when Dricus du Plessis defeats a tough opponent during a global fighting contest. No.

Here we are referring to the rallying call for #JusticeForCwecwe, a seven-year-old Eastern Cape girl that was raped while waiting for her school transport in October last year.

Since then, the parents of the Bergview College pupil in Matatiele have had little to no information about what happened to their daughter, whom they sent to school to be safe. Instead they have been met with either silence or arrogance from the school management when demanding answers.

Can you imagine what they must have been going through for all these months without answers about what and who should be held responsible for an incident that happened while their child was in the care of the school? Imagine a 7-year-old being failed by a school that she was so excited to go to when she left home. Her parents have done all they can to get justice for her.

It’s now up to us as a country to pick up from where they are to ensure that those responsible for the little child’s horrific ordeal, directly or indirectly, are punished. It’s encouraging that already there are planned marches in this regard.

It’s equally refreshing that the Education MEC has speedily intervened with a notice to shut the school over this incident. But this is not enough.

We demand that Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola ensure arrests follow soon. Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and People with Disabilities Sindisiwe Chikunga’s silence is too loud when her department should have already visited the child’s home to offer its support.

The actions we as a country take now will determine if there will be another #JusticeForCwecwe. We dare not rest on our laurels when our children suffer.

Cape Times