A 40-year-old school taxi driver charged with the rape of a 15-year-old schoolgirl while on his scholar transport round in Seven Fountains has been released on bail.
SAPS spokesperson Majoli Nkohli confirmed that a case of rape was opened on Friday, 22 October 2021 at Seven Fountains.
The 15-year-old girl alleged that she was among a group of school children being ferried by a taxi to their respective destinations on Friday 22 October. She was the last passenger when she alleges the driver stopped on a gravel road and raped her.
The case was handed over to the SAPS FCS (Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit) in Makhanda for further investigation, which led to the arrest of a 40-year-old man.
The man was charged and appeared in court on Friday, 29 October 2021. He was released on bail, and the case was postponed to Friday, 3 December 2021 for further investigation.
According to a Daily Dispatch report, parents of children in the area are now “afraid to trust a system that has revealed an alarming lack of control over who has access to their children”.
The Department of Education planned to deploy a multidisciplinary team to the school led by psycho-social support services. Department spokesperson Mali Mtima said an update on the outcome of the planned intervention was imminent.
Department of Transport spokesperson Unathi Binqose confirmed that the department’s contract with the operator that hired the driver has been suspended while the case unfolds.
