DEMONSTRATORS in ANC regalia protested outside the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, July 3, over concerns that a case of an eight-year-old child from Clermont may not be successfully prosecuted due to being bungled.

The secretary of the party’s Women’s League in Ward 92, Nomkhosi Mthembu, said the demonstrators’ concern is that the accused was released on bail and has allegedly not adhered to some of his bail conditions.

@caxtonlocalmedia Demonstrators protested outside Pinetown Magistrate’s Court, demanding justice for an 8-year-old rape victim from Clermont. The accused is out on bail, and has allegedly violated bail conditions, putting the child at risk. 📅 Next court date: July 11 #highwaymail #caxtondurban #JusticeForSurvivors #Clermont #PinetownCourt ♬ original sound – caxtonlocalmedia

“The child cannot go to school anymore because the suspect has been spotted along the route she uses to school,” said Mthembu, who explained that Thursday’s demonstration outside court also served as moral support for the child and her mother who were meeting with social workers on the day.

Mthembu said the seeming mismanagement of the case gives the impression that the dignity of victims of rape, and of women in general, is “looked down on” and that the case’s progression “going forward was not clear”.

It is alleged that the child was a victim of rape on May 11 in Clermont. Police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo said a 29-year-old man was arrested by the KwaDabeka police for rape.

“He appeared before the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court on 13 May 2025,” said Ngcobo.

The accused is reportedly out on bail and is due back in court on July 11.

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Another branch leader, Nonhlanhla Khoza, said there was serious worry and fear over the child’s safety because the suspect has been seen in the Clermont area when their bail conditions stated that they should have relocated to a different area.

“We are here to complain as mothers that a person who raped an eight-year-old child, how did they get bail? And once they have been granted bail, there are no follow-ups, nothing is being done about the allegations that the child’s mother is being sworn at by the suspect,”  said Khoza.

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