Thousands of peaceful protestors took to the streets of the Cape Town CBD today to take a stand against the alleged rape of seven-year-old Cwecwe.
The little girl was reportedly raped at her school in October last year. All clad in black, the demonstrators marched to the offices of the Western Cape Education Department to call for a stricter vetting process when teachers and other education staff are appointed. This comes as the principal of Bergview College in Matatiele is one of the three suspects reportedly identified by police.
We are outside the Western Cape Education Department in Cape Town, where thousands of protesters have lined the streets of the CBD. They’re marching in a bid to get justice for little Cwecwe. The seven-year-old girl was raped last year, allegedly at her school in Matatiele.… pic.twitter.com/jY4I9MO4An
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Sunday school teacher Andiswa Fatyela joined the Cape Town march, as a mother of two young daughters. The Nyanga resident’s youngest daughter is seven-years-old, and she says this could have been her daughter. Her 18-year-old daughter was also one of the protestors.
“When I look at them, I know that tomorrow they might not be safe at church. When you take your child to school, you expect your child to be safe at school, but now, children are not even safe at school,” said Fatyela.
University student Tayla Cox also shared her sentiments.
“We live in such a beautiful country with beautiful people, but we are in a crisis. This is a gender-based violence crisis, and it is so much bigger — the fact that girls cannot go to school, they cannot go to the post office, they’re not even safe in their own homes anymore,” Cox expressed.
Western Cape Education MEC David Maynier accepted the memorandum of demands that was presented by the protestors.
“We are deeply disturbed by the incident that has been reported from the Eastern Cape. I accepted a memorandum on Tuesday afternoon and will refer it to the relevant national departments for action. We are aware that the Eastern Cape Department of Education, as well as SAPS, are investigating the incident.”
He shared his message for the Eastern Cape Department of Education.
“We urge them to ensure that the perpetrator is found and faces the full might of the law. Our children must be able to learn in a safe environment when at school. While this incident has occurred in another province, I urge anyone who becomes aware of an incident of abuse or assault in a Western Cape school to report this immediately to SAPS and to our Safe Schools hotline on 0800 45 46 47 toll free for assistance,” said Maynier.
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