Rescued girl (13) misses her family
THE teenage girl from Mozambique, rescued by an activist and the police last Thursday from a 24-year-old man who said she was his wife, is doing well at a place of safety.
The caretaker of the Tembisa children's home where the 13-year-old is being kept told Sowetan yesterday that "she is starting to behave like a normal teenager".
"She has shown a lot of progress since arriving here. She is warming up to other children and the children have also warmed up to her. She is not afraid to express herself," the caretaker said.
"We speak about her dreams for the future and how much she misses her family back home (in Maputo)."
The teenager also went on a picnic on Saturday before she took a tour of OR Tambo Airport.
"She was fascinated by the elevators. I think this was the first time she had seen them."
The Mozambican consulate said they were reluctant to send the minor back to her family because she could be victimised.
An official said they had decided to keep the girl in South Africa pending further consultations with Mozambican authorities.
Home Affairs officials obtained a 30-day temporary residence stay for her, while the Mozambican embassy will help establish contact with her family in Maputo.
Meanwhile, Tembisa police spokesperson Captain Manyadza Ralidzhivha, said the "husband", was now behind bars.
"He appeared in the Tembisa magistrate's court on Monday on charges of statutory rape. The man was denied bail and remanded in custody until his next court appearance in October," Ralidzhivha said.
He was arrested on Thursday night after angry community members in Sophiatown informal settlement in Tembisa, east of Johannesburg, broke the lock on his shack and rescued the girl.
The frightened teenager alleged that the man routinely locked her up in their shack while he went to work.
According to the girl, he never allowed her to speak to anyone and beat her if she disobeyed him.
IceQueen
@ Puberty"The Mozambican consulate said they were reluctant to send the minor back to her family because she could be victimised"
poor thing, hope they don't send her back.
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Mochidi
That bustard should be kept in jail indefinitely.He is a monster who does not belong in the community,that piece of s**t.@Puberty did you read the article girl? i mean read all of it.
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QueenB
Eish yah neh i also wish they cud investigate her family coz they sold her to this man apparently wht parents does tht to their kids n she's jus a baby wa itse things ppl do for moneyReport Abuse
Madread
poor thing, i wonder how the parents are going to react since bajele tjhelete ya ilobolo.Report Abuse
Tom
If her family was not aware of this situation they would have looked for her long time ago.We never heard of the family looking for their girl.It seems to me that they willingly gave this girl to this guy to be his wife.I understand they said she will grow with him.If south African government didn't interfere this girl was gonna grow in this marriage with her husband.SA Gov ke masenyelletsa!!!Report Abuse
Amogoro
Poor little thing, she needs to go back to school and something tomorrow and as for the husband I hope he got a partner as soon as he arrived at the holding cellsReport Abuse
Maleri
@husband you must stay in jail for a long time and never allow you seeing the sun and feel what this poor kid was feeling. Locking her in that shack it was purposely coz you were very much aware that you are making horrible thing O SELE MAAAN.@family lona le sele worse FISH OIL and PORRIDGE di fedile ngwana wa sotlega.
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Madread
So Tom obona hole ok for this child to submit herself to the so called husband?Report Abuse
LadySkroof
@Ice queen did u copy and paste that answer LOL.@PUBERTY we didnt have coffee this morning i see !!!!!!!!!
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