The town where rape is a sentence served by women

“This is life, rape is part of life.”   

These are the words of several women in Matatiele, in the Eastern Cape. Here fear is a familiar companion. People speak in whispers. Girls walk in groups. Doors are bolted long before sunset. Rape is not just a crime here. It’s a sentence that women serve — silently, for life. 

When news broke that seven-year-old Cwecwe had allegedly been raped at her school, Bergview College, it sparked outrage across the country. But for many residents, the only shock was that it finally made headlines. 

The child’s story, one of many in a province where sexual violence is common, exploded in public in March. Her mother, a police officer, took to social media and a podcast called Hope Revolution to describe her daughter’s alleged rape at school — and the painful bureaucratic delays in their pursuit of justice.

When the Sunday Times visited the small rural town this week, the school where the incident allegedly took place was shut for the holidays. The institution — a private school with three campuses for different phases — had recently been deregistered by the Eastern Cape education department, a decision that has since been reversed.

As rain drizzles gently over the township of Maloti, a little girl in blue boots skips over muddy puddles, clutching her grandmother’s hand. She’s oblivious to the marches being held in her name across the country — protests demanding justice for what was done to her. 

Behind a brown oak door, the girl's laughter mingles with that of her younger brother. Their play drowns out the low murmur of political voices in the next room, where three members of the Patriotic Alliance sit with her parents. 

Agreeing to be interviewed, the girl’s mother said: “She’s on and off. She’s OK... but she’s not the same child I knew. She used to be bubbly, alive, friendly and innocent. Now, sometimes she withdraws. You can see she’s very sensitive. I’m a mother, so I need to stand firm — even when it hurts, I have to smile.” 

Throughout the day the family had been visited by the ward councillor, the MEC and various ministers.

Residents are divided. A community member, who asked not to be named, defended the school principal, saying he is always stationed at the high school campus, about 2km away from where the girl was allegedly attacked. “He’s a lovely man,” she said. “He couldn’t have done it.” She also spoke warmly of the school caretaker — another man of interest in the case — describing him as a family man who doesn’t drink or smoke.

People are starting to complain why is Cwecwe’s case being taken seriously but the other cases aren’t?

—  Resident

But in Maloti, whispers carry. Everyone knows the girl’s name. Everyone knows where she lives. At the local library — where water was not running during our visit — residents said it was not uncommon for children to be sexually assaulted in schools. Some expressed bitterness that this case only gained attention because the child’s parents are police officers. “Other children’s cases disappear,” one woman said. “Their parents don’t have connections.”

In Matatiele gravel roads turn to slush in the rain. The town centre, a short drive away, offers butcheries, clothing stores, and two hospitals — one public, one private. 

The public hospital has a Thuthuzela Care Centre, where many of the child victims have reported their cases. Housed in a prefab container, it’s the front line for victims of sexual violence. It has rooms for medical exams, interviews, and waiting. The walls are white. The floors creak. It is sterile, cold — and deeply unsettling. Not a place built with children in mind. 

Cwecwe’s story is not an isolated one. Several women in Matatiele told the Sunday Times that rape is a regular, deeply rooted problem in their community. 

“There’s a lot of rape here. I’m a mother and I’m scared for my children. I have a seven-year-old and a one-year-old,” one mother said. 

A 34-year-old woman said: “There are a lot of kids here who get raped. But it’s never taken seriously like Cwecwe’s case, just because her mother works for the police that’s why it’s being taken seriously.” 

A 30-year-old woman added: “Here as girls, we get touched inappropriately, it’s just like that here. People are starting to complain why is Cwecwe’s case being taken seriously but the other cases aren’t? We don’t go out, we are at home, and if we are not at home we can come to the library. It’s not much but it’s what we have.” 

When the Sunday Times visited the community, just a few houses away from the Vuka Rise Manase Primary school where a six-year-old boy and a seven-year-old girl were reportedly raped in October last year, a granny shared how her grandson had also been the victim of sexual assault. 

“Cwecwe’s case helped ours because before, our cases were being ignored. I couldn’t sleep thinking about this. This is a small community, we all know each other so this affects us all. We live with rapists, we live in fear.”   

Police minister Senzo Mchunu said at a press conference the rape was first reported in October last year after the child was examined by a doctor and seen by a social worker. A case was opened on October 16. The senior state prosecutor reviewed the docket but decided not to prosecute, citing a lack of evidence. 

One of the biggest stumbling blocks, according to Mchunu, is DNA evidence. No foreign DNA was found. Since then, three people of interest have been identified, and further DNA testing is still under way. Mchunu did not explain why further DNA tests were needed.

At a press briefing in Mthatha, minister of women, youth and persons with disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, said there was a possibility that “it was not the first time that Cwecwe was raped”.

Clarifying her statement yesterday, Chikunga said she had been briefed by provincial and local government stakeholders in preparation for her engagements in the town.

“Based on that interaction, I expressed concern about reports suggesting the possibility that the child may have been violated more than once.

“Questions relating to whether additional incidents were reported to SAPS, whether prima facie evidence exists, or whether new leads have emerged are best directed to the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).”

Shaheda Omar, director of the Teddy Bear Foundation, said that in 80 to 90% of sexual abuse cases, there was no clear physical evidence — but that doesn’t mean abuse didn’t happen.

“With children, the process of disclosing trauma is complicated. Some speak out soon after the event, others take months or even years, and some never disclose at all. This can be due to dissociation — a way the mind protects itself from overwhelming pain. As a result, a child’s account might seem disjointed or unclear, which is actually a normal reaction to deep trauma.”