Ashraf Hendricks, GroundUp
- Limpopo police appointed a high-ranking officer to investigate why Seshego police released a man on a warning.
- This after EFF leader Julius Malema stepped in and claimed the person had raped his teen relative and that police mishandled the case.
- Police said the person was initially arrested for abduction instead of rape, which angered Malema.
Limpopo police management has launched an investigation into Seshego police after EFF leader Julius Malema took to Twitter and alleged that the rape case of one of his relatives had been mishandled.
Police management has conceded that officers dealt with the matter in a clumsy way.
Malema tweeted on Monday that he was forced to intervene to ensure that Seshego police arrested someone alleged to have raped his teenaged relative. He said he later found out that the person was released on a warning the following day by a prosecutor and an officer. Malema said the teen’s father was going to lay charges against the prosecutor and officer for defeating the ends of justice.
Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said they viewed the Seshego police’s alleged ineptness in a very serious light.
Mojapelo said it was alleged that Malema’s relative had been raped by a known suspect and police in Seshego did not respond in a manner they were supposed to.
Abduction case opened
“Instead of registering a rape case, a case of abduction was opened.
“After registering the case, the suspect was traced and arrested on Sunday. However, he was then released on [a] warning before appearing in court,” said Mojapelo.
Acting provincial commissioner Major General Jan Scheepers appointed a high-ranking officer, Brigadier James Espach, to oversee the investigation into the alleged dereliction of duties.
“Crimes against women and children [are] a priority of the South African police nationally and therefore, we will act on any allegations of non-performance in this regard.
Corrective measures
“All steps taken to process this case will be investigated with a view of taking any possible corrective measures and we will not tolerate any laxity on the part of any of our members when dealing with offenses affecting the most vulnerable members of the society,” said Scheepers.
Meanwhile, the provincial Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit is investigating a case of rape.
