Approximately one in four women have experienced sexual assault, sometimes at a young age (14 or younger). Poverty, unfairness, prejudice, alcohol misuse, and other circumstances that affect women are pervasive in low-income neighbourhoods. The perpetrators might be anyone from fellow students to street thugs to political activists. Initiation into sexual activity is often forced onto young girls around the world, including in South Africa. Young males justify kidnapping and forced sex because they think a lack of sex has a negative impact on their mental health.
Speaking of which, An influential EFF leader in Greytown, KwaZulu-Natal’s Midlands, has been arrested on charges of rape against a 7-year-old girl and is currently appealing for bail. On the evening of March 16, 2023, the 60-year-old accused is said to have raped the girl. The cops allegedly nearly gave up on their investigation before finally capturing him only last month. The identities of the victim and the reporting female have been concealed by withholding the leader’s name.
Colonel Robert Netshiunda, the police spokesman for KwaZulu-Natal, said that the accused was apprehended after the young victim’s stepmother discovered that her daughter had been sexually molested. The leader made his initial court appearance before the Greytown Magistrate on Monday. His bail hearing has been postponed until Tuesday. The judge ordered him to remain in jail until August 8. This is necessary until it can be determined if it is possible to grant him bail. Philani Mavundla, mayor of Umvoti (Greytown) and president of the Abantu Batho Congress (ABC), spearheaded a community demonstration against bail for the arrested EFF leader throughout his two-day court appearance. Mavundla claimed that rape was commonplace in the area, citing the story of a local woman who was allegedly raped at the mayor’s residence.
He emphasised that the accused should not be released on bail because of the gravity of the charges against him. He stated, “All we’re asking is that he be denied bail and given the maximum sentence possible for the crime he (allegedly) committed.” Mavundla has also called for the SAPS detective who is looking into the case to be disciplined for what he sees as obstruction of justice.
“The poor conviction rate of rapists is a worrying trend which speaks to poor policing and a lack of seriousness in dealing with such sensitive and priority crimes,” Mavundla said outside of court.