The family of 12-year-old identical twins is demanding the harshest possible punishment for an older man who was arrested for allegedly raping the girls repeatedly over several months.
The suspect, who is believed to be from Zimbabwe and was living nearby, allegedly began assaulting the twins from November of last year. The horrific pattern of abuse was only reported to the girls’ school this past Tuesday, after one of the twins was raped the day before.
According to a family member, the incident that finally prompted the report occurred when the man instructed one twin to leave, telling her, “No, you go. You’ll find her here.” Upon her return, she found her sister crying and learned of the assault. When the girls threatened to tell their mother, the family says the suspect threatened to kill them and their mother if they disclosed the abuse.
The prolonged trauma has had a severe impact on the twins. A family spokesperson described a drastic change in their behavior, stating the girls have become rebellious and overly cautious in an effort to protect themselves. Their academic performance has also severely declined.
“This has enormously affected the girls,” the spokesperson said. “The performance at school was never good again… It changed their character. It changed their behavior.”
The case has ignited fury and anguish within the Itsoseng community. A representative from the local Community Policing Forum (CPF) revealed that abuse against minors is rampant in the area.
“Most of the cases since from last week till this week… are for the minors,” the CPF member said. “We are very sad because we don’t understand what’s happening now. Most of the cases are one man raping three kids, most of them several times.”
Community members, particularly women, have expressed their outrage. One woman voiced the collective despair, calling the situation a “pandemic.”
“We are saddened. We are in anguish because of rape, especially minor kids,” she said. “It is not a good thing for a man to rape a young person, a young girl, a little girl. We want to stand up as a woman and say enough is enough… We need to get together and fight this crime.”
The suspect was arrested following the report to the school. He has since appeared in the Itsoseng Magistrate’s Court and has been remanded in custody until October 7th to secure legal representation. The community and the victims’ family now await the next steps in the judicial process.