Thousands of people marched across major cities in South Africa to demand justice for a seven-year-old girl who was reportedly raped at her school. The assault happened in October last year, but the case drew new attention after the girl’s mother spoke out in a podcast and shared the story with local media.
More than 2,000 protesters gathered in Cape Town. Similar marches were held in Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Durban. Many carried signs and wore black to show support for the victim and other children who face abuse.
People are angry at how slowly the justice system is moving. They are also upset that many similar cases never reach the courts. The public is calling for faster investigations and tougher punishments for offenders.
South Africa has one of the highest rates of violence against women and children in the world. Police recorded over 42,000 rape cases in the last year. More than 17,000 of those involved children. But out of those thousands, fewer than 500 child rape cases were taken to court.
In a separate case, a teacher was arrested for allegedly abusing a 13-year-old student in the northern part of the country. This has raised more questions about safety in schools and whether staff are being properly screened before being hired.
The education minister said schools must check staff names against the national list of sexual offenders. That list is not yet public because of legal delays, but the government had promised to release it earlier this year.
Protesters say enough is enough. They want real change, not more promises. They are demanding action to keep children safe, punish abusers, and fix a system they say is failing the most vulnerable.
