GOVERNMENT ASKS PUBLIC NOT TO SHARE RAPE VIDEO
THE government has urged citizens not to share a video of the alleged rape of a 7-year-old girl in a toilet at Dros Restaurant in Silverton, Pretoria last week.
Dros management confirmed the incident in a statement on Wednesday and a suspect, 20, is in custody. He is due in court in Pretoria on Tuesday.
The National Prosecuting Authority said the man has been charged with rape‚ possession of drugs‚ intimidation, and assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
On Thursday, attention via Twitter peaked as users discussed the identity of the suspect, including his race. Later, a video taken at the restaurant was uploaded showing the suspect, naked and bloodied, and patrons letting fly at him.
The government made the call not to repost the clip on its official Twitter account late on Thursday, saying it was insensitive to the child and her family, and it could jeopardise the legal process.
By law, the man cannot be identified until he has pleaded, but this did not stop people from naming and shaming him on social media.
South Africa has extremely high levels of sexual assault.
Reports of the alleged rape first surfaced on Facebook on Saturday where a patron posted that a man had preyed on the girl while she was playing in the children’s area and, when she went to the toilet, took her into to the men’s toilets, where he raped her.
The group #Notinmyname has threatened to see Dros closed down if management did not cover the costs of care for the victim. They are questioning how the girl was allowed to leave the play area unsupervised.