Julius Malema Meets Family Of Rape Victim, Cwecwe In Eastern Cape

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema have met with the parents of a seven-year-old Cwecwe, who was allegedly raped in Matatiele, Eastern Cape.

During the visit on Sunday, Malema conveyed his deepest solidarity with the family and vowed that the EFF would fight alongside them in their pursuit of justice.

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“What happened to Cwecwe is not only a personal tragedy — it is a reflection of a system that continues to fail our most vulnerable,” the party said in a public statement.

The EFF condemned the crime as “heinous and disgusting” and committed to holding both perpetrators and negligent state institutions accountable.

EFF Condemns Institutional Failures

The EFF criticized state institutions for what it described as a failure to protect the child, vowing to expose those responsible for inaction.

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“We will ensure that the state institutions which neglected their duty to protect this child are exposed and confronted for their complicity through silence and inaction,” the party said.

The political party emphasized that accountability must extend beyond the individual who committed the act to those who failed in their duty to prevent it.

The case has triggered widespread public outrage and renewed debate over child protection mechanisms in South Africa.

Police Minister Apologizes For Wrongful Accusation

The case has also seen controversy around the misidentification of a suspect.

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Police Minister Senzo Mchunu recently issued an official apology to the principal of Bergview College, who was wrongly identified as a suspect in the rape case.

In a letter addressed to AfriForum advocate Gerrie Nel, who represents the wrongly accused man, Mchunu admitted that his department had erred in a public statement issued on March 29.

“I categorically state that I never at any stage had an intention to defame your client or any other person,” he wrote.

Mchunu acknowledged that while mistakes can occur during sensitive investigations, they must be handled transparently and with responsibility.

“As the Minister of Police, I take responsibility for the statement in question… there was no malicious intent whatsoever,” he added.

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