Idutywa residents are up in arms after a 63-year-old school principal appeared in court for allegedly raping a four-year-old child.
According to reports, the child told her teachers about what the accused, her mother’s boyfriend, had allegedly been doing to her in her mother’s absence at home.
The principal at a school in Engcobo appeared in the Idutywa Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday where his bail application was postponed.
Hundreds of residents, including school children, gathered outside court, and held placards and chanted songs in support of the victim and her family.
The father of the child said he was determined to get justice for his daughter. “I feel like I also failed her as a father but I am determined to get justice for her,” he said.
NPA Eastern Cape spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said the case was postponed to October 4. “That’s when the court will determine whether the accused will be granted bail ... He is charged for a schedule 6 offence which is rape. The State will be opposing bail when he appears in court,” he said.
SA Council for Educators spokesperson Risuna Nkuna said they would be looking into the matter. “At this stage we will be in contact with the department and will engage on this matter and will revert back once we have spoken to the department,” he said. The SA Democratic Teachers Union called for the law to take its course.
Cape Times