No prosecution will take place in Cwecwe's case, NPA confirms
A mother's most unrelenting quest to justice has bore no fruit.
Even after her fights, the social media uproar and condemnation of the violation on children, Cwecwe's mother still has no answers.
And by the look of things, she won't have any answers about the violation of her 8-year-old daughter anytime soon.
Last month, police minister, Senzo Mchunu told the media that the state prosecutor has declined to prosecute suspects in the case involving a 7-year-old girl referred to as Cwecwe, citing a lack of sufficient evidence.
This is after Cwecwe underwent a medical exam and a session with a social worker.
Read more | #JusticeForCwecwe: A mother's unrelenting quest
In the address, Senzo said the matter had elements of complexity regarding the handling of the case docket, with her DNA being a point of contention. Upon testing the little girl, no foreign DNA was found on her body.
For weeks, the country was up in arms over Cwecwe's school principal refusing to have his DNA tested as a suspect.
Over the weekend, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirmed that in November 2024, a case docket was presented to prosecutors in Matatiele Magistrates' court as well as to the case manager at the Matatiele Thuthuzela Care Centre in the Eastern Cape.
'The docket contained information with suspicions of sexual assault on a minor girl. The prosecutors assessed the contents thereof and concluded that there was insufficient evidence upon which a successful prosecution could be instituted as no conclusive evidence of rape/sexual assault could be found after an interview and examination conducted on the minor girl,' the statement revealed.
Read more | #JusticeForCwecwe: National shutdown looms as civil groups take to the streets
The provincial Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) office then had a relook into the matter and conceded on the decision.
This was not communicated to the public at the time of the decision because 'doing so could have the potential to compromise any ongoing police investigations'.
'However, in view of the public outcry and interest generated since the matter resurfaced in April 2025, the NPA has decided to communicate the decision of the prosecutors in the Eastern Cape division. We can also indicate that the police have since resubmitted the docket to the DPP's office for further consideration.'
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