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Africa|‘Enough is Enough’: Report of a Child’s Rape Enrages South Africans
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/09/world/africa/south-africa-rape-sexual-violence-cwecwe.html
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A mother’s call for justice has challenged a culture of shame and inspired a nationwide movement to tackle the crisis of sexual violence.
By Zimasa Matiwane and John Eligon
Zimasa Matiwane reported from Matatiele, South Africa, and John Eligon from Johannesburg.
May 9, 2025Updated 2:55 a.m. ET
The protesters were furious. They tugged on the gate of the school where the mother said her 7-year-old daughter had been raped. They demanded that the school be closed, and threatened to burn it down.
Demonstrators in the small town of Matatiele, South Africa — known for its pristine, litter-free streets — have been furious ever since videos of the mother, Thandekile Mtshizana, were posted online a couple of months ago describing her daughter’s account of being assaulted at Bergview College.
The clips drew millions of views and have turned the case of the girl, known online by the pseudonym Cwecwe, into the latest flashpoint in South Africa’s long battle against sexual violence, challenging a culture of shame and silence. In rural communities like Matatiele, the case of Cwecwe has touched a nerve.
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“This time we say it cannot be business as usual,” said Thapelo Monareng, a retail worker who took time off work to attend the protest in Matatiele. “We are here to say enough is enough.”
The police have said the investigation is ongoing and extremely sensitive. Tests did not find foreign DNA on the girl’s body or clothes, according to a presentation the police made to Parliament in April. The results of a doctor’s original examination were inconclusive, the police said, adding that they have no suspects.
