Gauteng Social Cluster Chairperson and Social Development MEC Nandi Mayathula-Khoza has announced that an investigation has been launched into sexual violence claims against a Gauteng based Mayor involving a minor girl child.
Addressing the Provincial Legislature, MEC Mayathula-Khoza, said a Cabinet Committee launched an investigation against a Gauteng Mayor for allegedly sexually grooming a 14-year-old girl he had a relationship with.
The Committee was established by Gauteng Premier David Makhura in the wake of sexual abuse of 87 learners at a Soweto school.
It comprises MECs Panyaza Lesufi for Education, Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane of Community Safety and Nandi Mayathula-Khoza of Social Development.
Its brief is to act specifically on the prevention of abuse of girl children without excluding boy children and to strongly act against gender based violence.
“Yesterday, the special cabinet task team visited the home of the girl learner with the aim of getting facts and supporting the girl learner and the family.
“The family has applied for a protection order to ensure that the alleged perpetrator stops contacting the girl learner. The community safety MEC has also appraised us that a criminal case has now been opened and is under investigation by the law enforcement agencies.
“The girl child is already receiving trauma therapy and our professional social workers will counsel the whole family. The special cabinet committee will continue to support the girl child and her family to ensure that there is justice.
“As part of the GP Campaign on investing, protecting and empowering the girl child equally to the boy child, we call upon all the people of Gauteng, to pull from the depth of all our collective strengths to commit to put an end to this ugly plague of GBV in our communities,” the MEC said.
MEC Mayathula-Khoza announced that the Gauteng Government was to lead a big march led by the Premier and the Special Cabinet Committee to launch the 16 days of no violence on women and girl children on the 24th of November 2017.
MEC Mayathula-Khoza said the Gauteng Government is paying attention to the care and abuse of children in the province.
Committee saves eight-year-old girl
“Two weeks ago, this committee was also able to save an eight-year-old girl from sexual abuse at school and at home in the farm areas of the Vaal.
“This, we later learned, has been happening to her since she was five-years- old. We are pleased that we have moved this child to a place of safety and she is responding well to the new leaf of life,” she said.
Social Development Month closes
MEC Mayathula-Khoza told the house that today was the closing of the Social Development Month.
“Today brings to an end the Social Development Month which we observed under the theme: Working Together to Build Caring and Sustainable Communities for All.
“During this Social Development Month which also embraces other social transformation cluster programs such as the mental health and cancer month, we engaged community leadership including councillors and social service providers to inform communities of the various social security programmes available to them and how these can be accessed,” MEC Mayathula-Khoza said.
“Most importantly, we asked the community to tell us if these services are accessible or not, if not, we together put an action plan to ensure that our people know where to access social security services.”
These services include Social grants by Sassa, ECD program registration, Substance abuse treatment centres, Community Nutrition Development Centres for addressing hunger and poverty, Adopt a child, How to apply for foster care, How to register as community care giver for vulnerable older persons, children, women, youth, the sick and people with disabilities, and most importantly we informed communities about institutions such as Places of safety or Shelters for Victims of Gender based violence. – SAnews.gov.za
