Police top brass in EC amid uproar over handling of 7-year-old girl's rape case
The fact-finding mission will see the national police attempt to find whether the police in the province did what was necessary to assist the child.
Fannie Masemola. Picture: Facebook/GovernmentZA
JOHANNESBURG - Police top brass are currently in Matatiele, in the Eastern Cape, amid a national uproar over the handling of a rape case of a seven-year-old girl in the province.
The National Police Commissioner, Fannie Masemola, instructed the head of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Investigations Unit to intervene following reports that provincial police provided little to no help to the family of the survivor.
The mother of the little girl, who is also a police officer, alleges the incident happened while the minor was awaiting her scholar transport on 14 October 2024, and she reported it two days later.
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The fact-finding mission will see the national police attempt to find whether the police in the province did what was necessary to assist the child.
Law enforcement officials have descended upon Matatiele amid growing calls for accountability in the rape of the seven-year-old girl on school grounds.
They are now on a fact-finding mission to ensure that there was due diligence in the handling of the case, as spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe explains: "The head of FCS is with the investigating team where they are going through the docket verification process to determine if necessary steps were undertaken in this particular case, also ensuring that a proper investigation plan to gather evidence and the collection of evidence was conducted thoroughly."
Officials will also be ensuring that the provincial South African Police Service (SAPS) conducted interviews with key witnesses and took statements from all persons of interest.
A report will then be drafted and presented to the Police Minister, Senzo Mchunu.