Cwecwe Medical Report Points to Multiple Cases of Abuse, Minister Calls for Expanded Investigation

• Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities has made an admission about investigations into the rape of Cwecwe
• Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga confirmed that the now eight-year-old may have been sexually abused multiple times
• The minister also urged authorities to widen the scope of their investigation and not just focus on the school

Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent ten years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism

EASTERN CAPE - As calls grow for justice for Cwecwe the Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities has made a startling admission regarding the case.

Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga confirmed that the now eight-year-old may have been abused multiple times. The little girl, who is being referred to as Cwecwe, has made national headlines after her mother revealed that she was raped in October 2024, but very little was done about the case.

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Medical records prove Cwecwe was raped

Speaking to the media in Matatiele in the Eastern Cape on Thursday, 3 April, Chikunga stated that she had received comprehensive reports from the police and the Department of Social Development. The minister also noted that received a medical report which proved Cwecwe was indeed raped.

“There is no question as to whether there was or there was no rape, there was a rape. As a matter of fact, from the information that we have heard, there is a possibility that it was not the first time that she was raped,” the minister stated.

The latest information could dispel the mother’s belief that her daughter was raped at Bergview College on one specific day.

Minister calls authorities to expand investigation

Following the mother’s claims that Cwecwe was raped on the schoool’s premises, authorities investigated those in the school environment. DNA samples were taken from the caretaker, driver and school principal, but Chikunga emphasised that samples must be obtained from other suspects who may have come in contact with the little girl.

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“The samples must be taken to exonerate people or link people to the case,” she said.”

What you need to know about Cwecwe’s case

• Siviwe Gwarube spoke with Police Minister Senzo Mchunu after the Eastern Cape primary school girl was raped
• National Police Commissioner instructs FCS Unit head to intervene in Bergview College rape case
• Bergview College approached the Eastern Cape High Court to overturn a decision to deregister the school
• Advocacy organisation Not in My Name slammed the rape of a seven-year-old child at Bergview College
• South Africans blasted advocacy group AfriForum for representing Bergview College principal, Jaco Pieterse

Looking at the statistics

The Cwecwe case caused national outrage with thousands of South Africans protesting across the country. The case has sparked a wave of public support, with celebrities, political parties, and ordinary South Africans joining the call for justice for Cwecwe. An online petition with over 700,000 signatures has gained online traction, which has resulted in marches all over the country.

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Thousands have rallied behind the movement, and the hashtag #JusticeforCwecwe has been widely shared across social media. The case forms part of the broader trend as South Africa continues to battle the high rates of abuse against women and children.

In 2024, a DA parliamentary question revealed that over 106 000 rape cases were reported which results in an average of around 314 cases per month. The Eastern Cape accounts for a horrifying 45.9% rape cases of all reported crimes against children with the national figure standing at around 38.3%. According to the NPA's statistics, the National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa (NPA) only brought 449 child rape cases to trial in 2023-2024.

AfriForum denies rape incident happened on school premises

Briefly News reported that AfriForum cast doubt on the theory that the Bergview College principal raped a school.

AfriForum's Gerrie Nel provided a version of events and argued that the principal was not involved in the incident.

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The lobby group also argued that the rape of the seven-year-old didn’t happen at the Eastern Cape school as claimed.

Source: Briefly News