Girl beaten for reporting rape

2009-06-02 19:12

Durban - An Umlazi, Durban schoolgirl was beaten, allegedly for reporting that her schoolteacher had raped her, an organisation that helps sexually abused children said on Tuesday.

"She was beaten for reporting that she was raped. It is shocking. The perpetrators must be dealt with accordingly," said Jackie Branfield of the Bobby Bear Foundation.

The girl is one of several Makhumbuza High School pupils who reported in April that their teachers allegedly raped them. Five teachers were suspended by the KwaZulu-Natal education department when the allegations surfaced.

One of the teachers briefly appeared in the Umlazi Magistrate's Court on Thursday on a rape charge. He would appear again in court for a bail application on June 8.

Branfield and her councillors visited the school on Tuesday to encourage pupils to report rape.

Police spokesperson Superintendent Buhle Ngidi said five people had been arrested in connection with the assault on the girl. One of them was a pupil at Makhumbuza High School, he said.
 

- SAPA