A four-year-old girl was found hanged in Katlehong, Johannesburg on Monday, police said.
The half-naked body was found by a passer-by hanging from a tree in an open veld, said Colonel Lungelo Dlamini.
“Police will determine whether she was raped before being killed,” he said.
Dlamini said the girl went missing on Monday afternoon but was not reported missing by her parents. – Sapa
An 18-year-old black teenager accused of murder and rape, admitted in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Wednesday that he had sex with a “motionless” 14-year-old girl.
He did not dispute that she might have been alive at the time.
If the girl was alive, which might be proved by medical evidence later, the man could be convicted of rape. The alternative charge to rape is sex with a corpse.
The man’s two co-accused, who are minors, have pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The State alleged that the girl was waylaid and forced into bushes at the Pietermaritzburg cemetery in July 2011, when she was raped and assaulted. She died of head injuries.
On Thursday, a youth will testify through an intermediary.
The witness will be seated in another room and the replies to questions will be relayed to the courtroom through closed circuit television. – Sapa
A black Northern Cape school employee accused of raping a schoolboy appeared in the Warrenton Magistrate’s Court on Monday, police said.
“The case was postponed for further investigation, the man has been remanded in custody,” said spokesman Lieutenant Sergio Kock.
The 52-year-old general worker at a primary school in Warrenton allegedly raped a seven-year-old schoolboy in the school toilets on August 19.
The victim’s mother noticed that something was wrong while bathing the boy and questioned him, said Kock.
“The boy revealed to his mother that he was raped by the general worker during the school interval.”
The matter was postponed to September 10. – Sapa
A man has been arrested in connection with the murder of a nine-year-old girl in Knysna, Western Cape police said on Sunday.
Captain Bernadine Steyn said the man, 32, was arrested shortly after the little girl’s body was found on Saturday night.
“The deceased… was playing with her friends… [on Saturday] morning at approximately 10am when the suspect approached them on foot.
“He offered to walk with [her] through the bushes to a nearby shop to buy chips. The suspect was seen coming back from the shop alone,” said Steyn.
The girl’s family reported her missing in the afternoon.
Police and community members began searching for her, and her body was found shortly before 9pm.
“She had an open wound in her neck,” said Steyn.
Police were investigating whether she had also been raped.
The man was arrested and charged with murder. He was expected to appear in the Knysna Magistrate’s Court soon.
A Pretoria University philosophy lecturer has resigned after “a racist blog” she wrote was “exposed” by a fellow white academic known for his pro-regime leanings, The Times has reported.
Louise Mabille said the rape of babies was a “cultural phenomenon” among black South Africans.
In an article on feminism, Mabille said: “Naturally, it is much easier to endlessly complain about ‘Calvinism’ than to ask the question on why the rape of babies is a cultural phenomenon among black ethnic groups.”
A complaint from University of Johannesburg political science lecturer Piet Croucamp alerted Pretoria University management to Mabille’s post.
Croucamp said he had raised his concerns with the vice-chancellor after the philosophy department had refused to deal with it.
“They said she wrote in her personal capacity and that it fell within her right to freedom of speech. I told them it was hate speech, which limits one’s freedom of speech.”
Praag executive editor Dan Roodt described the article as “forthright and challenging”. It asked why Western feminists were so anti-West and in this country criticised only white men and patriarchy, and not black men.
“The notion that her piece could be hate speech is preposterous. If so then the speech of Deputy President Motlanthe at the National Men’s Rally was also ‘hate speech’.
“Motlanthe, according to the SABC, said ‘men must not use culture to perpetuate violence against women and children’. In passing, Mabille refers to the myth among some black South African men that raping children or babies would cure one of Aids, which the Rape Crisis Centre also refers to,” Roodt said.
Mabille and Motlanthe converged on the issue, that culture should not engender violence against women, especially girls and even babies, he said.
“We commissioned the piece as we are concerned about the horrific sexual violence in South Africa. We believe there should be a national debate . intellectual and analytical.”
Roodt said Praag was shocked at Mabille’s resignation.
“If it had anything to do with her article, it would be a sad day for intellectual debate, for freedom of expression and for academic freedom . Then we have become as benighted as the rapists and killers themselves.
“The issue of sadistic violence and the pathological attacks on women, children and the elderly will not go away in South Africa. We need to discuss it in a frank and open manner.
“Those who criticised Mabille are all Afrikaners. It saddens me to say this, but Afrikaners seem to make very good communists. The more our society sinks into a quagmire of ideology and prejudice, the more some Afrikaners, especially some academics, display an intolerance and a doctrinaire attitude reminiscent of Stalin’s Russia.
Mabille also said:
“[Something] that leftist feminists conveniently avoid is the real threats to women. We find that, for instance, a proper feminist criticism on Jacob Zuma and his crude patriarchal practices shines in its absence . I would have thought that it should be a priority to make mince-meat of a polygamist who has been accused of rape and in whose language a word for this crime hasn’t even been invented before the arrival of whites. That is not even to mention his charming habit of making babies with every woman that crosses his path.”
“Something that is especially revolting about modern feminism is the forced association with the Third World, socialism and crime. If there is a future in feminism then its supporters should rather position themselves to the right, and tackle real problems.”
“Let them ask how Women’s Day could be celebrated if a rural woman can get raped and set alight and that doesn’t lead to an eruption of rage in our country.”
“The world attacked [Russian President Vladimir] Putin for his withdrawal of explicit gay rights while there is a genocide of gay people in Zimbabwe and black lesbians in the townships are subjected to ‘corrective rape’.”
“There is also a big unwillingness to tackle Islam.”
Read the full article on timeslive.co.za
A 47-year-old Cape Town coloured man was arrested for allegedly raping his daughter in a church tent, according to a report on Thursday.
The Mitchells Plain man, who was an employee of the church, and his friend allegedly raped his seven-year-old child in the tent at the Hosanna Ministries Church in New Woodlands.
“The Mitchells Plain Family violence, Child protection and Sexual offences unit is investigating an alleged rape of a minor,” said police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk.
“The alleged rape occurred in New Woodlands. A 47-year-old man was arrested and the accused appeared in the Mitchells Plain Magistrate Court on August 16,” said Van Wyk.
According to IOL, the girl’s mother was thought to be drunk when the incident took place.
The mother denied this, and said that her husband was innocent.
“I know nothing about this because she told me nothing,” she said, according to The Daily Voice.
“I was on my way home from work when people in the street told me my husband was assaulted because he touched my daughter.
“I can’t believe my husband would do something like that because I will not allow it. He is not that kind of man,” she said.
Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe inadvertently took a swipe at black violence on Saturday when he called on men not to hide behind culture to perpetuate gender-based violence.
He did not venture into racial differences however, but it is a well-established fact that gender-based violence is rife in black communities.
Despite concerted media efforts – with much-publicised high profile cases – to portray white men as equally violent, rape figures have increased dramatically since 1994, most involving black perpetrators.
Motlanthe was addressing a poorly attended National Men’s Rally at the Johannesburg Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The event was aimed at addressing issues of violence and abuse against women and children.
Under the theme of “Not in My Name”, Motlanthe addressed a stadium with many open seats.
He said that gender inequality was a huge stumbling block in fighting abuse.
He added that only if men helped defeat stereotypes and the classification of women could the scourge truly be stopped.
“If we take refugee behind culture, we will then perpetuate gender-based violence,” said Motlanthe.
After his address, Motlanthe was joined by Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities Lulu Xingwana and Johannesburg Mayor Parks Tau in signing a pledge promising no form of violence against women and children would be enacted in their name.
The government is trying to fight worsening perceptions about the level of violence in South Africa, with little enthusiasm from most inhabitants, however.
Western Cape police said on Sunday they could not confirm weekend reports that the recent rapes of a baby girl and a seven-year-old boy in Ceres were revenge attacks, and they would not be speculating on the motive.
The Rapport newspaper claimed that the parents of one of the victims allegedly owed the suspected rapist R800 and when he was not paid, the children were allegedly sexually assaulted.
Children as well as babies are often raped however, since many aids-infected black South Africans believe the myth that child rape is a cure for HIV.
The police’s Andre Traut said that every possible lead was being investigated to make sure the perpetrator was arrested.
“The recent rapes of two young children in Ceres are being investigated. It’s a top priority for SAPS. We will not be speculating on the motive,” said Traut.
The four-month-old girl and the boy were abducted from a home on a farm near the town a week ago and sexually assaulted in a vineyard.
Police took a suspect in for questioning during the week, but he was later released.
The girl had since undergone two reconstructive surgeries at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital, while the boy was recovering at home. – EWN
A man taken into police custody for questioning in connection with the rape of a four-month-old baby girl and a seven-year-old boy has been released.
The suspect was arrested on Monday after the children were sexually assaulted on a farm in Ceres at the weekend.
Western Cape police’s Andre Traut said the man was released on Tuesday night after being interrogated for 24 hours.
“We’ll continue our search for the suspect and we’re making an appeal to the public to assist us. They can call Crime Stop on 080 600 1011.”
Traut said authorities are still searching for at least one more man who they want to question in connection with the assault.
Sniffer dogs will also be taken to the farm where the incident occurred to search for clues.
Police have since released an identikit of the suspect.
Meanwhile, the mother of the seven-year-old boy told Eyewitness News she is heartbroken.
The woman, a distraught mother of five, sobbed bitterly saying she is not coping well.
She said her son has had nightmares following the incident and added that the boy hasn’t been speaking much.
The child has since left his mother’s home and is staying with relatives in a nearby farm at the moment.
Western Cape Police Commissioner Arno Lamoer on Tuesday issued a stern warning to rapists, saying the man responsible for this incident would be brought to book.
Lamoer said he’s confident there will be a breakthrough in this case as investigators are working tirelessly to track down the suspects.
He said some of his best officers are working on the case, including members of the visible policing and tracking units.
The police commissioner later added the incident left him sickened.
The month of activism against the abuse of women and children is not off to a good start. This past weekend in Ceres in the Western Cape, a 7 year-old boy and a 4 month-old baby were raped by the same man. Police Spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Andre Traut clarified earlier reports and confirmed that the children are not siblings though they live on the same farm.
The baby was taken from her parent’s bed while they were sleeping. The man allegedly took the baby to another area of the home where he raped her brutally. The little boy was raped by the same man. The baby was taken to the Red Cross Children’s Hospital where she underwent reconstructive surgery. She is expected to remain there for some time. On Tuesday, a suspect was taken in for questioning.
Western Cape Police Commissioner Arno Lamoer confirmed that a man is being held and interrogated for information about the two rapes. The man recently moved in with the family on the farm. He was considered a family friend. The residents are angered by the brazenness of the attack. Many are shocked that a crime of this nature could take place in the usually quiet and peaceful town of Ceres. Ceres is known for its farms and vineyards.
The Justice Department will proceed with its programme of campaigns which are scheduled for the entire month of August in areas such as Khayelitsha, Delft, Mitchells Plain and Khayamandi in the Western Cape. The campaigns intend to address issues surrounding violence against women and children and to find practical solutions to assist victims.
Meanwhile, a coloured Paarl policeman who allegedly raped a 14-year-old girl appeared in court earlier.
Warrant officer Anthony Gouws pleaded not guilty to five charges of rape of a minor.
Gouws is out on R1500 bail.
He was arrested in July after the victim’s mother alerted authorities after she saw an inappropriate message Gouws had sent her daughter.
“Mr Anthony Gouws did appear at the Paarl Magistrate Court on five charges of rape. The matter has been postponed to 29 August,” NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said.
Rape, particularly child rape, in common in South African and has increased dramatically after 1994.
Women and children are constantly victims of heinous, sex-fuelled crimes. Many of the victims end up permanently scarred and disfigured or worse; dead.
A specialized task team was set up to investigate the rapes of the baby girl and young boy.
North West premier Thandi Modise has condemned the alleged rape of a three-year-old-girl in the province.
“When the scourge of sexual offences against women reaches infants, toddlers and young girls, every parent who has a child should be worried that the scourge has reached unacceptable level and proportion,” she said in a statement on Tuesday.
She said the spate of rape incidents where the perpetrator is known to the victim points to moral decay that needs urgent intervention.
Earlier in the day, police arrested a 37-year-old man for allegedly raping a three-year-old girl in Ipeleng, near Schweizer Reneke, in North West, police said.
The man, who is the girl’s neighbour, took her to a nearby shack where he raped her on Monday, Captain Pelonomi Makau said.
“… Police were summoned to the scene after the community allegedly assaulted the suspect. The suspect was taken to the hospital with injuries and was under police guard,” Makau said.
The man was discharged and detained on Tuesday and was expected to appear in the Schweizer Reneke Magistrate’s court on Thursday.
Modise called for the alleged perpetrator to be denied bail. – Sapa
Authorities in Kuwait on Tuesday hanged a 33-year-old Egyptian man dubbed a “monster” for the abduction and rape of 17 children under the age of 10, the public prosecution said.
Hajjaj Saadi, who was handed five death sentences, complained shortly before his execution that had not been given any assistance from the Egyptian government, a witness said.
Saadi strongly denied in court that he had committed any of the crimes, which shocked the Kuwaiti public, and insisted his confessions were extracted under duress.
Arrested in July 2007 as he prepared to board a flight to Luxor in Egypt, he became known as “the Hawalli monster” for the district near Kuwait City where the crimes took place.
The authorities said Saadi had confessed to raping 17 boys and girls after luring them onto rooftops in Hawalli, an area mainly inhabited by foreigners 12 kilometres (seven miles) south of the capital.
Another Egyptian man was executed at the same time after he was found guilty of killing an Asian couple by setting their home ablaze and attempting to murder another couple from Egypt the same way, said the prosecution.
Ahmad Abdulsalam al-Baili poured an inflammable material in the apartment of the Asian pair and set it on fire in April 2008, causing their deaths, it said in a statement.
Later he tried to kill an Egyptian couple the same way. They survived despite suffering injuries.
The hangings were the second set of executions in Kuwait since it reintroduced the death penalty following a six-year moratorium.
In April, the authorities in the oil-rich Gulf state executed a Saudi, a Pakistani and a stateless Arab who were convicted of murder. – AFP
A convicted child rapist’s case was postponed by the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday for the 71st time in four years, Mpumalanga police said.
Lt-Col Leonard Hlathi said Andries Mfana Sibiya’s the case was postponed to May 2.
“It was postponed because he claimed he was tired.”
Sibiya, 55, a preacher, raped a 13-year-old girl between 1998 to 2007 and fathered three children with her. He told the court during his trial that God had ordered him to father children so his family could, one day, go to heaven.
He was found guilty on April 2, 2008 on nine charges of rape, and has been in custody since then. During the past four years, sentencing was repeatedly postponed because Sibiya claimed to be ill.
Beeld reported that during his previous court appearance, on March 28, he was pushed into court in a wheelchair, threw himself to the floor and rolled around, eventually coming to a halt in front of the dock.
Hlathi said he had on several occasions started hunger strikes shortly before his court appearances, and then claimed to be too ill to attend court proceedings.
– SAPA
