Cape Town - An Mfuelni family say they are living in fear after an uncle accused of raping his 9-year-old niece.
They said he absconded after threatening to kill them if they took the matter to authorities.
According to a family member, the suspect is alleged to have raped the girl multiple times and given her chocolates and sweets in exchange for her silence.
Police spokesperson FC Van Wyk has confirmed that Kuils River family violence, child protection and sexual offences units (FCS) are investigating the case.
“According to reports, the alleged rape occurred over a period of time. The suspect is the victim’s uncle. He has since absconded and his whereabouts are unknown. Investigations continue,” said Van Wyk.
The child’s guardian said the rape had deeply affected the girl and she had dropped out of school.
“My wife noticed blood on the toilet seat and she politely asked the girl if she (has her) period, then she said no. My wife knew there was something wrong because lately she (the victim) is not focused on everything she does.
Her marks at school have dropped very much compared to the previous years. “We tried everything we could as a family. In June, I called the community and informed them about this. He (the uncle) was called by the community to be part of the meeting.
“He denied everything he was asked. When he could see that he was being investigated seriously, he threatened (to) kill me, and said ‘I will kill all of you, including your wife and this child, should you take this to the police station’. Then he stormed out of the meeting.
“The community gave up on questioning him because he said this in front of them. After some time I was told that he had moved to Khayelitsha.
The rape had been going on since last year. She only spoke about it this year because my wife noticed something,” he said.
Ilitha labantu spokesperson Siyabulela Monakali said they were deeply concerned about the high rate of violence that is perpetrated on women and girls.
According to the latest crime stats, in the last quarter 9 516 cases of rape were recorded, 855 women and 243 children were murdered, and 11 734 cases of assault with grievous bodily harm were reported against women, with 1 670 cases against children.
“It is sad that the majority of the perpetrators of sexual violence are known to the victim, it’s either family members or acquaintances.
“Stronger measures need to be taken to safeguard against this type of abuse, an appeal to families and communities to create safe spaces where children can speak freely about issues relating to such matters, and we further appeal to families and communities to report cases of rape and gender-based violence to the police.
“We are failing children by not reporting cases of gender-based violence, the psychological effects that sexual violence has on the development of children is significant,” Monakali said.
Cape Times