‘That was where Uncle raped me’

By Venecia Valentine | IOL |

Cape Town – The grandfather of a five-year-old girl who was allegedly raped by a man she knew says the little girl showed him the route she and the suspect took before she was attacked.

The victim was allegedly lured by the 49-year-old man after he promised to buy her a Fidget Spinner at the nearby tuckshop in Rocklands, Mitchells Plain, where she lives.

The accused’s mother lives nearby.

It is alleged on 20 August, he forced her into a bush where he assaulted her and raped her.

A witness caught the suspect but the man fled when he was being approached.

The brave child, who was found bleeding, later helped police track down her alleged attacker in Tafelsig, where he was arrested.

The girl’s 48-year-old grandfather says he took her with him for a ride to visit a friend when she identified the road and spoke out about the ordeal and where the accused rapist walked with her on his way to the bushes at Kapteinsklip train station.

“We were alone and she was with me to visit a friend in Rocklands. I drove to the house we were going to and she said ‘Pa look this is the road Uncle walked with me when he took me to the bush’,” he said.

“I couldn’t handle speaking about it and so I steered her off that topic to make her forget about it that moment.”

Her 48-year-old grandmother said the grandfather hasn’t come to terms with the incident yet.

“He isn’t coping well with what happened to her and he isn’t speaking about it.

“The child is doing well and healing. She is back at creche and participating in activities as normal.

“She asks to play outside but I don’t want her outside. She can’t understand why I don’t want her outside and says she feels jailed because of this.”

The suspect appeared for the second time in the Mitchells Plain Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.

The accused was meant to take part in an identity parade but because the witness couldn’t be located, the case has been postponed by seven days.

Magistrate Alwira Bezuidenhout postponed the case to 6 September.

Joanie Fredericks from the Mitchells Plain Crisis Forum said she was disappointed in the delay of the case.

“I’m disappointed if the case can’t go to trial sooner,” she said.

“We will do all we can to make sure justice is served.”