Case against ‘abusive' guardians stalls as victim is transported to Zimbabwe
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The family violence, child protection, and sexual offenses commander confirmed that the child was taken out of South Africa before critical evidence could be obtained. 'The learner's statement was not yet obtained and she had not been taken to a doctor. The learner must be taken to the doctor to prove the case.'
The investigating officer said he suspects the accused guardians took the child to Zimbabwe to 'kill the case'. This was corroborated by Skeen Primary School deputy principal Masilo Lebeya, who revealed that the guardians took the child away swiftly, in the wake of allegations of abuse, and ahead of her June examinations, without informing the school. 'We only learned of her whereabouts when a social worker contacted one of the suspects, who admitted taking her to Zimbabwe,' Lebeya said, adding that the school subsequently opened a case of abuse at the Sandringham Police Station.
When asked if there were early, telltale signs that the victim was being abused, Lebeya said they were only seen at a later stage, and that the process of counselling the victim was only initiated when they confirmed that she had a family problem. 'Remember, we are dealing with a lot of children here. You might find that, by the time a teacher notices that she needs to intervene, it is a bit late. It shows that the child has been suffering in silence,' he noted, further emphasising that the school has a strong support system and they have always encouraged children to share their problems.
Matheba said they are trying to get the accused guardians to co-operate. He stressed that, without it, the police will not be able to build a case. Matheba said if they do not co-operate, the police will have to work with home affairs' immigration authorities to verify the victim's legal status in South Africa. 'If she was here illegally, then we would have to involve authorities on that side, to get her a passport so that she can be transported back to South Africa, and that will be a long process.'
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