Urgent call for safety after 14-year-old girl raped on her way to school
A 14-year-old girl was raped by three men who abducted her on the way to school.
Image: File
A 14-year-old girl was abducted, raped, and left near her school in Langa on Tuesday morning.
The incident has prompted urgent calls for parents to accompany their children to and from school.
The Langa Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Forum issued an alert to the community following the incident.
Anele Gqasana, GBV programme coordinator for Projects Manager Langa, said support would be provided to the victim's family.
A woman who found the girl after the attack said the child was visibly traumatised.
'I met the girl who said, 'Sisi, can you please help me?' She told me she had been raped by men and then dropped off near a school,' the woman said.
She took the girl to her school.
Gqasana expressed fears that the perpetrator could strike again and urged vigilance.
Parents are advised to monitor their children's movements closely.
'I received information about this on Tuesday morning. The person who reported this to us was a parent who witnessed this.
'I quickly referred the case to Langa SAPS, and the Bishop Lavis police took over. We then issued the alert for parents about this to the safety forum. We will support the family," Gqasana said.
'This was an alarming incident; we fear it could happen again. We don't know who this man is, but we hope the police will investigate and arrest him because there are CCTV cameras all around.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
a day ago
- The Citizen
Fewer guns mean fewer funerals in South Africa
Gun violence still haunts South Africa despite crime drops. To save lives, we must urgently tighten firearm control laws. Every three months, we receive a new set of crime statistics. Numbers rise and fall and we talk about trends. But behind every number is a name, a family, and a future cut short. The latest Gauteng crime statistics, released by provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Tommy Mthombeni, show a 10.8% decrease in the murder rate – a welcome relief. But let's be clear: firearms are still the weapons most used to kill in this province and nationally. Imagine a taxi rank in Tembisa. Two men argue over a fare. One pulls a gun and suddenly, what could have been a fistfight, becomes a funeral. This is not a headline. It's real life for many in Gauteng. Road rage, alcohol-fuelled disputes, domestic fights – these situations turn deadly not just because of anger, but because someone had access to a firearm. ALSO READ: 13-year-old MP boy charged with attempted murder of cousin Despite the drop in murders, guns remain the leading method to murder in Gauteng and South Africa. That's like saying the fire is smaller – but it's still burning through homes. The statistics also reveal a chilling trend: 75 cases of multiple murders, with 191 victims. In two incidents, seven people were killed at once. Communities like Soshanguve and Kagiso are facing what can only be described as low-level warfare – yet it's often invisible to those watching from afar. What weapon makes it possible to kill that many people that quickly? You already know the answer. Kidnappings rose by 15.8%. Many of these abductions involved violence or threats – most often at gunpoint. The trauma doesn't end when a victim is rescued. Guns make it easier for criminals to control and intimidate. ALSO READ: Owning a gun can get you killed, says Gun Free SA The murder of 11 police officers – 10 off-duty, with these killings too often involving the officer's service gun being stolen, even after hours, when service guns should have been handed in by law, is a reminder that even trained professionals are not safe. If officers with firearms and training aren't protected, what chance does the average person have? We welcome the 2% drop in sexual offences and the awareness campaigns reaching thousands. But we cannot ignore this fact: a woman is five times more likely to be killed if her abuser owns a firearm. Removing guns from violent homes must be part of our gender-based violence strategy, yet SA's 2020-2030 National Strategic Plan on Gender-based Violence and Femicide doesn't include a single mention of firearms. As Gun Free SA, we propose: Reducing the number of guns – legal and illegal; Accurate record-keeping is a pillar of effective gun control, yet our records are a shambles. We need to urgently fix the Central Firearms Registry, including reassigning management of the Registry if the SA Police Service can't deliver on it; Enforce the Firearms Control Act. It worked before – and saved thousands of lives. It can work again. But only with oversight, training and accountability; and Table the Firearms Control Amendment Bill to close loopholes. ALSO READ: South Africa's gun trade and its impact on Africa Four years of delay is four years too long. Parliament must table it, allow public input, and legislate for life – not death. What does gun-free safety look like? Like Thuli in Tembisa walking home without fear, like Sipho in Alexandra not flinching when a car backfires, like homes where anger doesn't end in murder by pulling a trigger. Let us recommit to making SA a gun-safe country. The fewer guns we have, the safer we are.
IOL News
3 days ago
- IOL News
Langa community issues urgent safety alert after 14-year-old girl raped on her way to school
A 14-year-old girl was raped by three men who abducted her on the way to school. Image: File A 14-year-old girl was abducted, raped, and left near her school in Langa on Tuesday morning. The incident has prompted urgent calls for parents to accompany their children to and from school. The Langa Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Forum issued an alert to the community following the incident. Anele Gqasana, GBV programme coordinator for Projects Manager Langa, said support would be provided to the victim's family. A woman who found the girl after the attack said the child was visibly traumatised. 'I met the girl who said, 'Sisi, can you please help me?' She told me she had been raped by men and then dropped off near a school,' the woman said. She took the girl to her school. Gqasana expressed fears that the perpetrator could strike again and urged vigilance. Parents are advised to monitor their children's movements closely. 'I received information about this on Tuesday morning. The person who reported this to us was a parent who witnessed this. 'I quickly referred the case to Langa SAPS, and the Bishop Lavis police took over. We then issued the alert for parents about this to the safety forum. We will support the family," Gqasana said. 'This was an alarming incident; we fear it could happen again. We don't know who this man is, but we hope the police will investigate and arrest him because there are CCTV cameras all around.'
IOL News
3 days ago
- IOL News
Langa community issues urgent safety alert after 14-year-old girl raped on her way to school
A 14-year-old girl was raped by three men who abducted her on the way to school. Image: File A 14-year-old girl was abducted, raped, and left near her school in Langa on Tuesday morning. The incident has prompted urgent calls for parents to accompany their children to and from school. The Langa Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Forum issued an alert to the community following the incident. Anele Gqasana, GBV programme coordinator for Projects Manager Langa, said support would be provided to the victim's family. A woman who found the girl after the attack said the child was visibly traumatised. 'I met the girl who said, 'Sisi, can you please help me?' She told me she had been raped by men and then dropped off near a school,' the woman said. She took the girl to her school. Gqasana expressed fears that the perpetrator could strike again and urged vigilance. Parents are advised to monitor their children's movements closely. 'I received information about this on Tuesday morning. The person who reported this to us was a parent who witnessed this. 'I quickly referred the case to Langa SAPS, and the Bishop Lavis police took over. We then issued the alert for parents about this to the safety forum. We will support the family," Gqasana said. 'This was an alarming incident; we fear it could happen again. We don't know who this man is, but we hope the police will investigate and arrest him because there are CCTV cameras all around.'
