24-Year Old South African Man Rapés His 6-Week Old Infant Niece

A six-week-old Northern Cape infant, who was rapéd a week ago, is the youngest victim of such a crime to have reached the courts, said Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, John Jeffery.

Jeffery promised an immediate increase in the number of courts to handle the surge of horrific séx abuse crimes.
The young victim was raped in Galeshewe, a township in Kimberley, on November 26, just a day after the launch of the annual 16 Days of Activism Against Women and Child Abuse.
The baby, who was left in intensive care as a result of her ordeal, was allegedly raped by her 24-year-old uncle.

Brigadier Masebueng Mochologi of the Northern Cape police said yesterday the little girl was now out of ICU after undergoing surgery, and was recovering well in a general ward at a Kimberley hospital.

The baby’s story stirred an outburst of rage across the country that has been unequalled since the brutal rape of a nine-month old baby in Upington, also in the Northern Cape, during 2001.



The 2001 rape resulted in the baby, who was named baby Tshepang, meaning hope, to undergo reconstruction surgery. The mother’s boyfriend was sentenced to life imprisonment for the crime.

“Generally in all such cases, the children were not raped by a stranger, but people they know,” Jeffery told The Citizen in an exclusive interview this week.

“Unfortunately it is not possible to have a policeman in each and every house.” He said heavy sentences do not seem to deter perpetrators.

“We have already introduced the minimum sentence. We are now working towards ensuring that the vulnerable groups have a less traumatic experience when they come to court through the introduction of more séxual offences courts,” Jeffery said.

He said six new séxual offences courts will be opened this month. A total of 22 courts will be opened by March and this will bring the number of the specialised courts to 57 countrywide. He said the courts will be regularly monitored by officials, including the minister.

Source: http://citizen.co.za