Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Reuters NewMedia - Friday November 23, 2001
In a case that has shocked the nation, the six men made a brief court appearance on Friday in the north-western town of Upington, but their case was postponed to next month for further investigation, the domestic SAPA news agency reported. Rape support groups have demanded the death penalty for the men, who did not apply for bail as expected.
Some 21,000 cases of child rape were reported to the police in the past year in South Africa, most committed by male relatives of the victims. The attacks are fueled by the myth that sex with a virgin will protect a man against AIDS or even cure him of the incurable disease.
The latest case has stirred anger in a country, which has one of the world's highest rates of rape, and has triggered a wave of national soul-searching.
"There is a consensus that there is something seriously wrong in our society. We are still haunted by the news of six adult men having raped a nine-month old baby," said Deputy President Jacob Zuma at a moral regeneration meeting on Friday.
With one in nine South Africans living with HIV/AIDS, sexual assault is often a death sentence for the victim.
More than 50,000 rapes are reported to the police each year but the figure heavily underestimates the true extent of the crime, rape support groups say.
The baby, named Tshepang ("Have Hope") to hide her identity, was raped after her 16-year old mother left her in the care of a friend. She has been in hospital since the attack at her family home in a dirt-poor rural settlement. Zuma said traditional healers could play a crucial role in debunking the myth about the relationship between AIDS and sex with a virgin.
"Traditional healers will play a leading role in assisting in spreading the message to those with twisted minds who rape young children under the belief that doing so will cure them of their HIV/AIDS status," he said.
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