The Oberholzer magistrate’s court has postponed to July 24 a case against a 36-year-old man from Carletonville in Gauteng who is charged with the rape and murder of his eight-day-old daughter.
Women for Change, a non-profit organisation that advocates and campaigns against gender-based violence and femicide, human rights, and gender equality, has expressed the organisation’s frustration about the case.
“The mother clearly did not know that the father of her baby would rape her. We must stop victim-blaming. It is not the mother’s fault, it’s the rapist’s fault,” said Women for Change.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Mavela Masondo said the accused, a father of four other children, is facing rape and murder charges.
He said the suspect took the baby from her mother in Welverdiend on June 8.
“Later in the day, the father returned the child naked and injured. The mother took the child to the nearest medical care centre where the rape was confirmed by the medical practitioner. The victim passed away in hospital the following day,” Masondo said.
In November 2022, Minister of Police Bheki Cele said the crime statistics on children were shocking and showed that communities continue to fail to protect some of the most vulnerable in society, the children.
“Shockingly, 558 children were killed in South Africa from April to the end of September 2022. Police are investigating attempted murder dockets of 294 children from July to September 2022,” said Cele at the time.
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