The Department of Community Safety in Gauteng has called for harsh sentences for rapists, saying it cannot tolerate the fact that those accused of the crime are later seen in their respective neighbourhoods.
Members of the Department joined community members in a picket outside the Tembisa Magistrate’s Court in Ekurhuleni on Wednesday for the appearance of a 28-year-old man accused of raping two children in the area.
It is alleged that the suspect lured the children, both aged four years, using sweets before raping them last month.
The Department’s Bhekisizwe Kubeka says, “We are saying as the Department of Community Safety, we are not going to tolerate what is happening. We are saying that the courts must make sure that this man is getting a harsh sentence because we are so fed up to see the rapists doing this thing, raping our children. At the end of the day, they’re outside and the community is angry about that.”
Two families in Tembisa call for stringent jail terms for rapists:
The families of two children who were allegedly raped by the 28-year-old neighbour say they are still traumatised by the incident.
The two families are also calling for a harsh sentence for the alleged perpetrator.
The man was arrested after nearly falling victim to mob justice.
Community members demonstrated outside court during his appearance yesterday.
The case has been postponed to April 8.
