Girl (9) was kept home from school and allegedly raped by her stepfather

WHEN a man called Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) and reported his nine-year-old step-daughter missing, he did not expect police to pounce on him after the child said had run away because he had allegedly raped her.

RUSA head, Prem Balram, said the child had run away from home on August 4, after her stepfather had allegedly raped her earlier that morning, while her maternal grandmother was at home. 

He said at 2pm on the same day, they received a call from the step father that he could not find the child.

“When we reached the home and interviewed the step father, who was in crutches, he said that his step daughter had gone to use the outside toilet and had been looking for her for the last two hours. 

“We went to check if it was a pit toilet because she could have fallen through but that was not the case,” said Balram.

He said he then dispatched a team of 20 officers to search for the young girl.

“We also sent paramedics, in case she was hurt. We searched bushes and the roads. We saw a school on the other side of the bush. We asked about the girl and they said they last saw her in school on August 1. She had not gone to school on that Monday, because she was ‘sick’,” said Balram.

He said RUSA then decided to circulate a missing persons poster with the 9-year-olds picture.

“After 15 minutes, we got four calls telling us that the girl was at her aunt's house, in a different area. When we got to the house we found the girl with her aunt.

“We told the aunt that it was illegal to take the child without her parent’s permission. She then responded that her niece had called her to say she had been raped by her stepfather.”

Balram said the child told his female officer’s that she had pretended to go to the toilet in a bid to escape.

“She claimed that she was raped hours before the stepfather called us, and that he had also raped her the week before.”

Balram said when they quizzed the stepfather, he said there had been previous allegations against him.

“He claimed that the family is trying to frame him. I am not sure why the girl was still left in his care. A few hours after finding the girl, her biological father called us and said he believed that his daughter was being raped.”

KZN police spokesman, Lt Colonel Paul Magwaza said the  Phoenix Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) detectives had arrested a 36-year-old man for the rape of the nine-year-old girl.

He appeared in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court last Wednesday and was released on R1500 bail.

Thuba Vilane, spokesperson for the Department of Social Development said their social workers had already visited the girl and would continue to work with the family to ensure her best interests.

He added they were concerned about the rise in reports of rape cases. 

"The number of calls of rape of young girls and children in general are very concerning. It is especially worrying in the month of August which is Gender Based Violence awareness. KZN Social Development MEC, Mbali Shinga, has raised the issue and concerns surrounding GBV and abuse of children in the latest portfolio committee meeting,” he added.

Rachel Wilkin, the Chairperson of the Verulam Community Police Forum, said: “When an incident of child abuse comes to light, it must be reported immediately to the police and the relevant child protection organisations so the proper mechanisms can be activated for investigation. It is everyone’s civic duty to report such cases.”

She also noted a concerning increase in child abuse incidents in and around Verulam.

“This is often a hidden crime. People hesitate to report it for various reasons - family breakdown, the perpetrator being the breadwinner, or fears for their own safety, especially when the abuser is a loved one.

"Sometimes, people value healing more than justice, and that’s okay, but they can still reach out for help to ensure the abuse stops and is addressed. Without action, there can be no safety or recovery.”

Keresha Govender, a Psych wellness and Life coach, from DSK Group NPO, said many sexual assault cases are not reported for fear of repercussions of the family and the survivor. 

“Most minors are groomed by perpetrators and hence too afraid to come forward. Others who do speak out are stifled due to social stigmas and financial dependency. As a result we have a vicious cycle of abuse that continues and survivors that do not receive the intervention they need and deserve.

“In many instances we find that survivors have been financially dependent on the perpetrators or their direct relations.”

Govender said they had also seen a rise in child sexual assault cases. 

“These cases have rapidly been on the rise and that as a community we need to take a stand and know that it is all our responsibility to protect our children, to be vigilant, to create safe spaces for our children to speak up and be heard.

“We deal with cases like this more often than we would like to admit and one more case is one too many for us. Recently the media has seen some of the most horrific cases brought to light of how our minors are being targeted and in almost all of these cases the perpetrators were not strangers. 

“The reality is we should not have to warn our babies to be wary of people they love but we should warn our babies to be wary of anyone and everyone. We cannot be careful enough as a community. We need the message to be loud and clear. We need the consequences to be even louder and we should be able to use every avenue and opportunity to make this known,” said Govender. 

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