Activists oppose bail for man charged with raping great-granddaughter

Gender-Based Violence organisations and activists are opposing the release on bail of a 62-year-old man who is charged with the rape of his five-year-old great-granddaughter.

The child’s 44-year-old grandmother said she was suffering from secondary trauma claiming he allegedly raped her when she was just eight-years-old.

Now, three decades later, the grandmother from Wesbank said she was reliving the trauma after it surfaced earlier this month that her own granddaughter was also a victim of the same male relative.

The great-grandfather, who cannot be identified, made an appearance at the Blue Downs Regional Court yesterday, where he is facing a charge of rape.

The case was postponed to December 30 for continuation of the bail application.

Police spokesperson Captain FC Van Wyk confirmed the case, explaining that the alarm was raised when the victim was seen walking with difficulty and that the suspect was arrested.

“On Sunday, December 12, the police arrested a 62-year-old male for the charges of rape,” he explained. “According to the complainant, a five-year-old girl was left with the great-grandfather. When she came back to pick her up, she noticed the child was not walking properly. The child then informed her that the great-grandfather touched her inappropriately and it was not the first time.”

“The suspect appeared in the Blue Downs Magistrates Court on a rape charge.” The child’s aunt, who spoke on behalf of the victim and the family, said they were deeply distraught by what had transpired and were appealing for justice.

“When the daughter collected the child, she saw that the child was walking strangely, and when she asked the child what was wrong, she said her stomach was sore,” she explained. “That night, she told her mother that her great-grandfather had touched her inappropriately.”

“I was called as I am in the medical field, and I said the family must go to the Thuthuzela Centre. At Karl Bremer Hospital, when the doctor performed the examination and completed the J88, he confirmed there was penetration and that it was a recurring event; it was not the first time.”

“The grandmother was a victim by the same man; it was never a police matter. The grandmother is 44 and was eight when it happened to her. The grandmother’s mother is still in denial.”

The grandmother said she was reliving the trauma and that a criminal case was never opened when she was a child.

GBV activist Latifah Jacobs handed in a petition opposing the release on bail on behalf of the Cape Crisis Committee and Aurorah CAN. Under South African law: “Releasing an accused charged with an offence involving a child directly conflicts with this constitutional imperative,” the petition read, which was shared with Cape Argus.

"Given high levels of gender-based violence in the area, releasing an accused in such a matter may further deter survivors from reporting.”

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