Minister Chikunga set to visit families of 3 children raped in Matatiele

MATATIELE - Minister of Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities Sindisiwe Chikunga is on Thursday expected to visit the families of the three children who were raped in Matatiele in the Eastern Cape.
 
The minister in the province after widespread calls for accountability following the rape of a seven-year-old learner in the area.
 
The calls follow claims that law enforcement officials had done little to investigate.

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In another case, a six-year-old boy disappeared for hours during school time in October last year. But his educators did not worry and instead berated the child for missing class upon his return.

This was a common occurrence for the minor, who would be forced to return to face his classmates and educators after the horrific ordeal, as explained by his grandmother.

The grandmother said the rapes had devastated their family, while the child experiences behavioural difficulties in school.

She explained what the school had told her about the little boy’s time at school:

"He asked to go to the toilet. He didn’t return from the toilet. I heard from the principal that the child took two hours and ten minutes. He was in the bathroom for that long. Then it was break time, and they even returned to class, and he was still in the toilet. The other children had now been in the class for a long time when he returned. When he returned, he was in a bad state. He looked like he was in pain, and he also looked like he had messed on himself."

Chikunga is expected to hear what support the family has received.