By Doreen Mokgolo
A Mabopane teenager who cried rape on her Facebook timeline on Wednesday received a tongue-lashing from social groups fighting gender-based violence.
The groups complained that the post was distasteful and damaging to the hard work that has already been done to fight the scourge of rape in the country.
In a series of posts, the teenager, known as Tsontsa M. Barbiie on Facebook, claimed that her abusive and drunk father raped her on Wednesday morning.
“My father is a drunkard and whenever he is drunk he assaults my mother and the children but when he is sober [is] a good father.
“He took advantage of me because my mother had gone to work and it was just the two of us. I tried to scream but he continued to assault,” she wrote.
The teenager added that she was supposed to write an exam that morning but she couldn’t due to the traumatic incident.
The post went viral and was shared 91,000 times, with many users sympathising with her and offering help.
She later posted that she was receiving help from social workers and her father was arrested.
On Thursday afternoon, the teenager dropped a bombshell on her timeline, saying: “Nobody raped me, ne ke dlala (I was joking), my dad died long time ago.”
Brian Sithole from One Strong Voice Foundation “We are always alarmed when young people come forward about being raped.
“When I read the post I was traumatised from imagining the pain and heartache that the teenager might be going through. We were already activated and trying to locate her to offer her support to ensure she would get justice,” he said.
Sithole added that those who make false accusations should be arrested and charged.
Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Mavela Masondo said making false criminal allegations is a criminal offence and those responsible can be charged accordingly.
“Those implicated are encouraged to lodge a criminal complaint with the police of crimen injuria and defamation of character,” he said.
Picture above: Tsontsa M. Barbiie
Image source: Tsontsa M. Barbiie Facebook
