A 13-YEAR-OLD disabled girl was allegedly raped four times by fellow pupils.
Instead of protecting her, teachers apparently blamed the epileptic girl for the attacks, and even told her she would be placed in an isolated class, because she was scary.
Her mother had to take her out of the Iteko Special School in Tlhabane, Rustenburg, after she was called in and told that her daughter was scaring other children and the teachers at a meeting last month.
"Her class teacher told me that my daughter must be placed in a room where other children won't see her.
"She also told me that my daughter was scaring the teachers as well- and that created a problem at the school," said the mother.
"I remember one day she came home struggling to walk, she was crying, I asked her what was wrong and she pointed at her genitals," the mother said.
She examined her and discovered that she had a discharge from her vagina.
Fearing she had been raped, she took her to the police for a medical and pregnancy examination.
But when three weeks passed without hearing from the police, she decided to take her back to school. She was then allegedly repeatedly raped at the school's toilets.
The mother said the parents of the boys accused of raping her daughter defended their children in a meeting.
She said three of the four rape cases were withdrawn because a psychologist handling the case said the girl was not fit to testify.
"She can talk and she understands when spoken to, I do not understand when they say she cannot testify," she said.
The school deputy principal, known as N Mototo, said they wanted to place the girl under what she described as the "institutional learner support team".
She said they had decided that the girl must be escorted alone, not with other children, to the toilet.
North West education department spokesman Brian Setswambung said: "It is understood that the learner is on chronic treatment for epilepsy that has contraindication of, among others, vaginal discharge which could be the reason why the mother may think the child has been raped. However, investigations are still on."
Police spokesman Sabata Mokgwabone confirmed that a psychologist was called for assessment.
He said in one case it could not be proven if the girl was raped and it was also withdrawn. The latest case will be in court next month.
tshehleb@sowetan.co.za
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
'Scary' girl raped at school and will not be able to testify
A 13-YEAR-OLD disabled girl was allegedly raped four times by fellow pupils.
Instead of protecting her, teachers apparently blamed the epileptic girl for the attacks, and even told her she would be placed in an isolated class, because she was scary.
Her mother had to take her out of the Iteko Special School in Tlhabane, Rustenburg, after she was called in and told that her daughter was scaring other children and the teachers at a meeting last month.
"Her class teacher told me that my daughter must be placed in a room where other children won't see her.
"She also told me that my daughter was scaring the teachers as well- and that created a problem at the school," said the mother.
"I remember one day she came home struggling to walk, she was crying, I asked her what was wrong and she pointed at her genitals," the mother said.
She examined her and discovered that she had a discharge from her vagina.
Fearing she had been raped, she took her to the police for a medical and pregnancy examination.
But when three weeks passed without hearing from the police, she decided to take her back to school. She was then allegedly repeatedly raped at the school's toilets.
The mother said the parents of the boys accused of raping her daughter defended their children in a meeting.
She said three of the four rape cases were withdrawn because a psychologist handling the case said the girl was not fit to testify.
"She can talk and she understands when spoken to, I do not understand when they say she cannot testify," she said.
The school deputy principal, known as N Mototo, said they wanted to place the girl under what she described as the "institutional learner support team".
She said they had decided that the girl must be escorted alone, not with other children, to the toilet.
North West education department spokesman Brian Setswambung said: "It is understood that the learner is on chronic treatment for epilepsy that has contraindication of, among others, vaginal discharge which could be the reason why the mother may think the child has been raped. However, investigations are still on."
Police spokesman Sabata Mokgwabone confirmed that a psychologist was called for assessment.
He said in one case it could not be proven if the girl was raped and it was also withdrawn. The latest case will be in court next month.
tshehleb@sowetan.co.za
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
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