The DA expressed its shock at the release of the 34-year-old man who was arrested for allegedly raping a two-year-old girl in Reiger Park.
The party said if indeed the suspect raped the toddler, he must immediately be removed from society as he is a menace to all women and children and has destroyed the life of a baby girl with so much potential.
The suspect, a boyfriend of the child’s mother, allegedly raped the child after the mother left her in his care before she went to work on Tuesday.
“It is unacceptable that justice for a violated child has to be delayed due to police ineptitude. The Boksburg Magistrate’s Court struck the case off the roll, citing further investigation. The criminal justice system is in a state of collapse,” said DA Gauteng leader John Moodey.
Moodey said that in light of the annual crime statistics released by the SAPS last month, it is clear that the SAPS is dismally failing to keep our children safe.
“The crime statistics revealed that the police are losing the battle against gender-based violence with total sexual offences increasing by 4.6 per cent, with the subcategory of sexual assault increasing by 9.6 per cent.
“A phone call today by the DA to the Reiger Park Police Station revealed that the police station has no adult or paediatric rape kits, which confirmed that it has not had any since March 2015, based on our previous investigations.”
The party further expressed its concerns about the increasing rate of sexual offences against children or minors when compared to the previous financial year.
“The statistics further show that in Gauteng, rape increased by 355 cases from 8 062 to 8 417. If we are to win the fight against child rapists and crime, we need an honest and professional police service that keeps people safe and maintains order,” Moodley said.
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