Prem Balram said when they questioned the stepfather, he said there had been previous allegations against him.
Image: File
A shocking case in Phoenix, KwaZulu-Natal, has left a community shaken after a nine-year-old girl allegedly ran away from home to escape repeated rape at the hands of her stepfather.
According to Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA), the child fled on August 4, pretending to go to the toilet. Hours later, her stepfather phoned authorities claiming she was missing. But when officers found the child at her aunt’s home, she revealed that she had been raped that morning — and previously as well.
Prem Balram, head of RUSA, said officers quickly realized something was wrong when the girl disclosed her story. Police later arrested the 36-year-old stepfather, who appeared in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court and was released on R1,500 bail.
The Department of Social Development confirmed that social workers are now involved and monitoring the family’s situation. Spokesperson Thuba Vilane said they were deeply worried about the increasing reports of child rape, especially during Women’s Month, when gender-based violence is under the spotlight.
Community leaders have urged residents to take action and report abuse immediately. Rachel Wilkin, Chairperson of the Verulam CPF, stressed that silence only allows such crimes to continue. Experts also warn that financial dependency and family ties often prevent survivors from speaking out, creating cycles of abuse that are hard to break.
Keresha Govender, a life coach working with abuse survivors, said: “One more case is one too many. We need to make the consequences louder than the crime.”
This heartbreaking case is a reminder that protecting children is not only the duty of parents but of the whole community.
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