Buziwe Nocuze
Eastern Cape police have launched a manhunt for three men who broke into a primary school in Ntabankulu and raped a Grade 7 learner in the school toilets.
Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana, a spokesperson for Eastern Cape SAPS, said according to their reports, the 13-year-old girl had just entered the toilet when three unknown male suspects followed behind her.
He said they were neither school staff nor scholars.
After sexually assaulting her, they left her in the toilet, where she was later found by a teacher, who came looking for her when she noticed that she was not in the classroom.
Malibongwe Mtima, the Education Department spokesperson in Eastern Cape, said that the victim was found lying unconscious in one of the toilets with both hands tied by a girdle.
“The learner reported the matter to the educators, who in turn called SAPS, who advised that the learner should immediately be taken to a nearby hospital where it was confirmed that indeed she had been raped,” said Mtima.
The victim’s outraged father has asked how it was possible that three men were able to break into the school, commit the horrific crime, and then leave unseen.
He believes that the perpetrators were not targeting his daughter but had planned to rape a learner inside the school premises. He told Scrolla.Africa that he thinks the rapist was performing some sort of ritual.
“There is no way that three men can organise to go and rape learners. So there is a motive behind this, and I hope they get arrested and tell all about what they did to my daughter,” the father said.
He said he is assisting SAPS in searching for the suspects so that they cannot repeat what they did to his daughter to someone else.
The child is traumatised, he said, and she is now afraid to go outside.
Eastern Cape education MEC Fundile Gade condemned the incident.
Brigadier Kinana said that no arrests have been made yet as the investigation continues.
The suspects are unknown at this stage and Ntabankulu detectives and Mount Ayliff FCS are still searching for them.
Anyone with information that can lead to the arrest of the suspects is requested to contact the Ntabankulu Police Station or any nearest police station or to call Crime Stop on 08600 10111.
