By Simthandile Ngcobo & Bayanda Hlongwane
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu says Bergview College principal in Matatiele has submitted his DNA which will be sent for testing in the 7-year-old Cwecwe rape case. The principal is one of the three suspects that are now being investigated for the alleged rape.
The police have also confirmed that a rape case was initially opened in October in 2024, but had done absolutely nothing to investigate it. After Cwecwe’s mother appeared in a podcast to tell the story, South African netizens rallied behing #JusticeForCwecwe. This has also led to wide spread protest action, including in Durban where marchers started in King Dinuzulu Park to Durban Central Police Station over the weekend.
“We are expressing our disappointment on how law enforcement and the government are handling this case,” explained one of the organisers, Mbalenhle Maseko.
Cwecwe’s mother, a member of the police force, says the police officer on duty was refusing to assist her when she reported the case until she realised that she was a colleague with a much higher rank than her. In Durban, protesters were carrying placards to show their dissatisfaction and say that they would like the police in KwaZulu-Natal to assist Eastern Cape police in speeding up the process.
“This case must be attended to the way we would like because we can see that it is being neglected, maybe because the alleged perpetrator is a principal and he is white,” said protester, Phila Zuma.
There have been other similar protest marches in other cities across South Africa.
