Mchunu: False impression created that Matatiele police were lax in investigating rape of 7-year-old girl

CAPE TOWN - Police Minister Senzo Mchunu said that a false impression has been created that Matatiele police had been lax in investigating the rape case involving a seven-year-old school girl.

But he said the top brass would have enlisted a more senior team sooner, if they were aware of the complexities.

Providing an update on the status of the investigation to Parliament's police committee on Tuesday, police said that once the girl is able to speak to a forensic social worker again, they hope to glean more information that can help speed up the case.

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Parliamentarians have added their unhappiness to public outrage over the handling of this case, saying police had not done enough to speed up DNA testing and to identify suspects.

But Minister Mchunu said this was not true and it could drive a wedge between the local community and the police who served them.

Statements have been taken from at least 30 people in close proximity to the matter.

"We could have taken the decision to escalate earlier if we realised the complexity of the case, earlier. But that is not to say we did not investigate. It only became clearer later that the victim was not speaking."

Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola said that getting the child victim to speak up was key to making progress.

"We don't intend to wait longer than necessary in terms of this investigation. We are led by the investigation. We will do our best to make sure that all that needs to be done now in terms of social work services."

The police said they were now waiting for the child's mother to make her available to receive more psycho-social support that could also help to crack the case.