North West Acting Premier Raymond Elisha has called on women to do more to protect girl children particularly orphans from the scourge of rape in their homes. This follows the arrest the arrest of a 31-year-old man for raping and intimidating a girl in Zeerust.
“Mothers should not safeguard their marriages and affairs at the expense of their children by turning a blind eye on rape of their children or those in their care because the signs are always there for them to notice and take the appropriate steps,” Acting Premier Elisha stressed in condemning the rape and applauding the arrest of the suspect.
Elisha commends the neighbour who alerted police about the latest rape incident which revealed that the heinous act had been happening for a while and called for no bail when he appear in the Zeerust Magistrates Court on Monday.
“When children confide in their neighbours and not their own mothers and or relatives, we need to be concerned and worried as to what has happened to the family as the nucleus of our society? Freedom will have no meaning if infants, girl children, the aged and women who are the majority in our communities are not safe from the scourge of rape in their own homes,” he added.
According to police, the girl was repeatedly raped by the man while he was dating her relative.
Captain Pelonomi Makau of the North West Police said that it is alleged that in one incident, the girl was at home with the man and four -year-old whom the suspect chased out of the house before he called the victim to his bedroom where he undressed and raped her.
The suspect was arrested Thursday which happen to be the same day that the province launched the Ambassadors of Goodwill Project in support of the One million Signature Anti-Rape Campaign launched by Premier Thandi Modise.
Whistles and pepersprays were distributed to elderly women in response to the Premier’s call for crime prevention structures such as Community Policing Forums, street committees and neighbourhood watch to look into providing elderly women who are staying on their own with whistles which they could blow to alert their neighbourhood of the threat of the scourge of rape and other crimes in their homes.
Enquiries:
Lesiba Moses Kgwele, Spokesperson
Tel: 018 388 3705
Cell: 083 629 1987
Fax: 018 388 3157
E-mail: LKgwele@gmail.com
