Uncle accused of raping three sisters

MDANTSANE police are investigating rape after a compalint that three sisters aged 4, 7 and 10 were raped by their uncle in their village while on school holidays in June.

Police spokesman Captain Nkosikho Mzuku said the case was being handled by the Mdantsane family violence, child protection and sexual offences unit.

The girl’s aunt, who cannot be named to protect their identity, came to the police.

She said the children, who are from a village outside King William’s Town, were at their mother’s home when the rapes happened.

“The mother and father had a fight in June and the mother left the children at [the village] to go to her home village.

“She then called the father and asked him to bring the children over for holidays.”

She said the father left the children with the mother, returning a week later to check on them.

“He slept at his in-laws’ in a back shack with his wife and at night when he went to go check up on the kids, he saw their uncle raping his seven-year-old daughter in the rondavel the children were sleeping in,” the aunt told the Daily Dispatch.

She said the father called his wife to also witness the alleged rape.

But to his surprise, his wife allegedly told him to look the other way and act as if he had not seen anything, the aunt said.

“He left the children there and came to tell us what happened.

“He said the wife warned him not to report the matter because he would be beaten up by his in-laws.”

But they reported the matter to social workers.

“We asked for advice from the social workers and they told him to open a case.”

Police went with him to the village and they took all three children away from the mother.

She said when police arrived, the mother and uncle ran away.

The children were taken to hospital, where a doctor confirmed they had been raped, she said.

The three sisters now live with a relative.

Eastern Cape social development MEC Nancy Sihlwayi’s office has promised to assess the children’s living conditions before taking action.

The MEC’s spokesman Mzukisi Solani urged the aunt to visit her nearest social development office for further assistance.

“Our officials will do their own assessment beyond the case that has been opened [with the police] to determine if the children need to be moved [to a place of safety],” Solani said.

Mzuku said no arrests have been made yet.

“The investigation into the matter continues. The SAPS prioritises all cases involving children.” –