AfriForum welcomes Police Minister's intention to apologise to wrongfully accused principal
A seven-year-old girl was raped allegedly on the premises of a school in the Eastern Cape last October, but police earlier this month revealed that no foreign DNA was found on the minor.
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu (far right) is accompanied by Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi to address the Soshanguve residents after the murder of at least six community patrollers. Picture: Sphamandla Dlamini/EWN
JOHANNESBURG - Lobby group AfriForum hasd welcomed Police Minister Senzo Mchunu's intention to apologise to its client, a principal wrongly identified as a suspect in the rape of a minor in Matatiele in the Eastern Cape.
The seven-year-old girl was raped allegedly on the premises of a school last October, but police earlier this month revealed that no foreign DNA was found on the minor.
The principal stated that he was not on the premises on the day of the ordeal and denied being in contact with the child for several days.
Despite this, several senior officials identified him as a suspect, prompting AfriForum's threat of a defamation lawsuit.
However, AfriForum has now accepted Mchunu's concession that the principal was wrongly identified as a suspect.
Afriforum Spokesperson, Barry Bateman, said that the South African Police Service's handling of the case has hampered the proper administration of justice.
"AfriForum’s private prosecution unit and our client, Jaco Pieterse, have welcomed Minister Mchunu’s apology and accepted it as the first step towards rectifying the terrible wrong committed against Pieterse, his family and the Bergview community, which includes the caretaker and the scholar transport driver. The false allegations against Pieterse and others have hampered the proper administration of justice."
Bateman said that the organisation remains committed to ensuring that justice is done in the matter.
Despite being vilified by ill-informed social media detectives, AfriForum's private prosecution unit remains undeterred in its objective to ensure that justice is served without fear, favour or prejudice.