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• DA leads protest after weeks of inaction following alleged school toilet rape of 6-year-old learner.
• Learner’s mother joins protest as DA delivers memo to SAPS demanding action.
• DA calls out child rape crisis, submits parliamentary question to KZN DoE.
The DA in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has ramped up efforts for justice – staging a protest and handing over a memorandum of demands to Esikhaleni SAPS. This follows the alleged rape of a six-year-old learner at a local school. The horrific crime is believed to have been committed in the school toilets at Mizikayifani Primary School on 25 April.
The DA is deeply alarmed by the institutional indifference that has characterised the handling of this case, by both SAPS and KZN’s Department of Education (DoE).
Despite the seriousness of the allegation, it was only yesterday – following mounting community outrage and political pressure – that SAPS visited the school for the first time. This appalling delay amounts to an abandonment of duty, particularly in a case involving a child of such a young age.
The learner’s mother joined the protest alongside community members, civil society, and DA representatives. Her presence was a powerful reminder of the human cost of inaction. Her voice, together with the voices of those gathered, demanded what should never have to be demanded: justice for a child who is being failed by the very systems meant to protect her.
The DA’s memorandum of demands (view here) delivered to Esikhaleni SAPS include the following urgent interventions:
• The initiation of a transparent, time-bound criminal investigation
• The immediate provision of psychosocial support for the learner and her family
• A full review of the school’s safeguarding protocols, staff accountability, and access control and;
• A guarantee that any implicated individuals will be held fully and publicly accountable.
Following the handover of the SAPS memorandum, DA representatives conducted an oversight inspection at Mizikayifani Primary School. We found no evidence of intervention or learner safeguarding measures by KZN’s DoE – three weeks after the incident allegedly occurred. The department’s silence is not only deeply irresponsible it is indicative of a broader crisis in learner protection within our province.
Regrettably, this case is not isolated. According to the SAPS 2023/24 crime statistics, more than 16 000 cases of child rape were reported nationally in a single year – 44 children every day, many of them under the age of 10. These are not just statistics – they reflect a systemic failure to protect children in their homes, communities, and tragically, in schools. The DA regards this as a national emergency requiring urgent, sustained and coordinated action.
In a bid for accountability, the DA has submitted a written parliamentary question (view here) to KZN Education MEC, Sipho Hlomuka, which demands disclosure on;
• Whether a departmental investigation has commenced
• What psychosocial and academic support has been extended to the learner and family
• The school’s historical compliance with safeguarding policy and learner protection standards and;
• Whether any disciplinary records exist concerning staff or other adults associated with the school.
The DA reiterates its unequivocal commitment to learner safety, institutional accountability, and the pursuit of justice. We are outraged by the delays in action and reject any attempt to reduce this case to bureaucratic procedure.
This is not just about one child. It is about the right of every learner to feel safe in their place of learning. The DA will continue to fight for #JusticeForWamkelwe, and for the restoration of trust in our schools and public institutions.