The North West MEC for social development, Sussana Dantjie, has called for sterner action against men who sleep with underaged girls.
Dantjie’s comments follow the arrest of a 24-year-old man by the Lichtenburg police for the murder of a 15-year-old girl and her infant.
The man was employed by the government.
The incident took place outside of Lichtenburg in Verdwaal. The ex-boyfriend of the deceased, according to Daniel, has to deal with the force of law.
“We have, with heavy hearts, learnt that the abuse was on a regular basis, but it was never reported,” said Dantjie.
“It is extremely shocking that this alleged murderer had a tendency of letting his fists do the talking, as he has at one stage allegedly punched the sister of the deceased.
“This could mean he abused the whole family, paralysing them into silence.
“The relationship between the alleged murderer and the girl reveals the multi-layered abuse that society has unfortunately seemed to normalise.”
Statutory rape
A 15-year-old girl, Dantjie said, cannot be in a romantic relationship with an adult aged 24.
“The age of the girl screams a child who was not supposed to be in a love relationship in the first place.
“It is defeating to hear that the abuser is apparently a government employee who was apprehended while attending his graduation ceremony in Gauteng.
“What is more shocking is that both the families of the deceased and the perpetrator were fully aware of the relationship, which started about a year ago.”
Given the age of the deceased, a mother of one who passed away at Mahikeng Provincial Hospital on September 30, Dantjie stated that “statutory rape, which is an offence that must be added to the charges, is likely”.
“We must also ascertain the age of the father of the deceased’s child, who is not the alleged murderer, so that he must also answer for statutory rape,” said Dantjie.
She appealed to men to protect their families instead of being “the beasts that instill fear in their families”.
Stepfather kills three-year-old child
In a separate incident, also at Verdwaal, a stepfather is accused of burning a three-year-old child inside a shack.
The social workers have been tasked with providing counselling to the bereaved family. The department will further provide the family with a social relief package.
Dantjie added that more programmes like Chommy and teenaged-geared activities must be planned for Ward 8 in Ditsobotla, which is emerging as a gender-based violence hotspot.
“It cannot be accepted that a 14-year-old becomes a mother who drops out of school to look after a child,” she said.
