Mbombela protesters demand justice for Cwecwe

Activists, organisations and community members from in and around Mbombela came together and joined the nationwide shutdown march, Justice for Cwecwe. The rape of this seven-year-old has sparked widespread outrage and there were organised demonstrations in various provinces.

The marchers walked from Crossing to the Mpumalanga Provincial Government Complex on Tuesday, April 1. The girl, well known as Cwecwe from Matatiele, Eastern Cape, was allegedly raped while she was waiting for her transport at Bergview College last year. According to reports, despite medical confirmation of the assault, no arrest has been made yet.

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The protesters took their concerns to Mbombela’s streets in support of the girl and her mother, and they demanded justice for Cwecwe. According to some of the protesters, their indignation is directed at the Department of Education’s (DoE) officials and the police, as the marchers feel these institutions are not giving the case the attention it requires.

They are demanding answers on how are the police and the DoE are planning to protect children at school, and demand justice and accountability for the alleged sexual assault. An activist in Mbombela, Sindisiwe Gwebu, said she decided to join the march because she wants to see justice prevail for the little girl.

She said she read about it on social media.

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“We are here to plead with the government and the Department of Education to intervene in this epidemic that we are facing. Something has to be done, it has to end now. There is no place in which we feel safe; our kids are not even safe at school. Uyinene Mrwetyana was not safe at the post office at some point.”