Girl (8) tells court how school guard violated her

An eight year-old AB Xuma pupil recounted her horror rape story.
An eight year-old AB Xuma pupil recounted her horror rape story.
Image: Veli Nhlapo

An 8-year-old girl relived the day she told her mother that she was a raped by a school patroller at AB Xuma Primary School in Orlando East, Soweto.

The girl told the South Gauteng High Court sitting in Palm Ridge magistrate’s court that her mother was the first person she told about the incident.

The girl was giving evidence in the trial against Johannes Molefe, 58, who stands accused of two counts of rape and 11 of sexual assaults. Molefe allegedly abused the girls at the school in 2017.

Testifying in-camera, the girl told the court she was in her school uniforms when Molefe approached and offered to buy her and her friends sweets.

She said that Molefe accompanied her and her friends while walking out of the school premises to wait for their transport at the gate when he violated her.

“I said to my mother there is something I want to tell you but at school they said we must not tell anyone. "She (her mother) said ‘tell me’. I said to her promise me you will not tell anyone, she said she would not.

"I said to her we were walking with Mkhulu [Molefe] at school;, he said he wanted to buy us sweets. He then lifted my dress [while walking], pulled down my leggings, pulled down my panty and inserted his finger,” she told the court.

The girl said she did not remember the date of the incident when her mother asked for more details.

“My mom asked me why I did not tell her earlier and I told her that it’s because at school they said we must tell anyone. My mother said if anything like that happened again I should tell her immediately.”

The girl said she told her mother that Molefe taught her and her friends a dance and that he wanted them to come to his house so that he can spoil them and make them dinner.

Trial continues.

Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.