Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Sunday Times (Johannesburg) - December 8, 2004
Henriette Geldenhuys and Israel Mlambo
The mother of the little girl then took her child to the Yeoville police station in the early hours of last Saturday - armed with her diary, which contained the confession and a pledge the man made to pay the family R5000.
She shoved her diary in front of the officers and told them where to find the suspect, but it was only when Gauteng MEC for Community Safety Firoz Cachalia arrived after 2am that the wheels of justice began turning.
Cachalia lashed out at the Yeoville police for showing no concern for the plight and trauma of the little girl and her mother. He arrived at the station while on a random patrol with the city's flying squad as part of the 16-day campaign against abuse of women and children.
Cachalia stumbled upon the mother and child waiting in a back room while the officers were "lazing" around the station.
Cachalia lashed out at the policemen after finding the station in a state resembling a "sewer".
He expressed dismay that the child and her mother were waiting in a back room while about six policemen, appearing unconcerned, just sat around.
Cachalia said it was obvious the officers had no immediate plans to arrest the suspect even though they knew where he was.
Instead, they took the risk of the man disappearing, Cachalia said.
Last Wednesday the Grade3 pupil told her mother, a nurse, that she had been raped by a neighbour.
The next day, her horrified mother took her to Yeoville police station, but was told to go home as her daughter was not able to make a statement about the ordeal.
On Friday night, a residents' committee of the block of flats where the family lives, called the alleged rapist to a community meeting.
Once there, he was confronted by his alleged victim, who was now supported by two committee members, both her parents and the caretaker of the block.
After an hour of denying any knowledge of the rape, the man, a security guard, allegedly confessed.
"He told us he used a condom. He asked for our forgiveness. But I told him: 'How can I forgive you when you've damaged my child like this?'" said the mother.
"Her father was very angry. But the committee members warned him that he would be arrested if he attacked the suspect," she said.
The alleged rapist offered to pay the family R5000 over several months if they did not go to the police, she said.
"We knew we were going back to the police, so we made him think everything's all right as long as he agrees to pay," said the mother.
The residents hoped that having him give them a confession would help the police in their investigation.
After the late-night meeting, the mother took her daughter back to the police station. But she said the police told her they couldn't arrest the suspect until they were able to open a docket.
At this point, Cachalia arrived and, after a brief chat with the victims, he demanded the suspect be arrested.
Johannesburg Area Commissioner Oswald Reddy said all the claims against the Yeoville police would be investigated.
The girl has tested negative for HIV and is taking a cocktail of antiretrovirals for the next 28 days to prevent her contracting the virus.
*The suspect appeared briefly in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court and was not asked to plead. He is scheduled to appear again tomorrow.
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