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Julius Malema visited Cwecwe’s parents during the weekend to express “unwavering solidarity and support” to the family.
EFF leader Julius Malema. Picture: Facebook/Economic Freedom Fighters
As the country observed the start of Child Protection Month on 1 May, the EFF said it will not rest until the person involved in the alleged rape of seven-year-old Cwecwe is brought to book.
EFF president Julius Malema visited Cwecwe’s parents during the weekend to express “unwavering solidarity and support” to the family.
Alleged rape
The alleged rape of Cwecwe, ignited outrage over systemic failures in handling the case involving the child.
Cwecwe’s mother was forced to turn to social media after a child was reported raped in October last year.
“The EFF said it stands “firmly with Cwecwe and her family in their courageous pursuit of justice”.
“What happened to Cwecwe is not only a personal tragedy — it is a reflection of a system that continues to fail our most vulnerable.
“The EFF will not rest until every individual responsible for this barbaric and inhumane act is held accountable. We will ensure that the state institutions which neglected their duty to protect this child are exposed and confronted for their complicity through silence and inaction,” the red berets said.
ALSO READ: Mnchunu admits mistake, apologises to school principal for naming him in alleged rape of Cwecwe
Police apology
There has been son arrests since little Cwecwe was allegedly raped.
Last month, police minister Senzo Mchunu admitted that he “falsely identified” Jaco Pieterse, the principal of Bergview College in Matatiele as a suspect in the alleged rape of the seven-year-old girl and apologised to the head of the school.
This was in a letter addressed to AfriForum’s advocate Gerrie Nel.
In the letter, Mchunu said the matter attracted “much publicity in mainstream and social media”.
“I have human and personal empathy for your client and any other person who might have been wrongly fingered as a suspect in circumstances where he or they were only persons of interest.
“I categorically state that I never at any stage had an intention to defame your client nor any other person, for that matter. I am prepared to apologise to your client who was incorrectly identified as a suspect in this matter,” Mchunu wrote.
Social media
Pieterse welcomed Mchunu’s apology and accepted it as the first step towards rectifying the terrible wrong committed against him, his family, and the Bergview College community, which includes the caretaker and the scholar transport driver.
It’s unclear whether Mchunu’s apology will stem the tide of social media harassment, threats and abuse that Pieterse and his family have faced from “social media detectives” after the mother of the seven-year-old Bergview pupil went public with her accusations.
ALSO READ: Police clarify comments on DNA samples in Cwecwe rape matter
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