Soweto child rape case put off as teacher swaps lawyers, and her family says she is not okay

A Soweto teacher accused of raping a child will wait for another court date after his case was postponed on Thursday, because he changed his legal representative.

The matter was put off rather than heard. It is the second time the accused has been before a court on this charge, having first appeared about two weeks ago.

The alleged rape is said to have taken place on 6 October. According to the account given to SABC News, the child told her mother what had happened on that same day. The teacher presented himself at a police station some days afterwards.

The prosecution is opposing bail. The accused was named in the broadcast as Calvin Rula.

For the child, the court process has not been the only difficulty. Her family says she is suffering secondary victimisation, and that the reaction of people in their own community has added to what she is carrying.

She is not okay, the family said. Being out in the community has not been easy for her, because of how members of that community respond when the matter comes up.

That account sits alongside what the Gauteng education department says it has put in place. The department says it has brought in other departments to help, including social development, and that its own psychosocial support staff have been in contact with the family.

Outside help has also been arranged, the department says, naming the Teddy Bear Clinic and professionals attached to the police services who have been interacting with the family.

The department used the case to send a message about schools. Government has had enough, it said, and will not tolerate violence, particularly against children in schools. It called on anyone still disrupting schooling to stop.

What the postponement means in practice is that the case against the teacher has not yet moved to the stage where bail is argued or evidence is heard. The prosecution’s stated position is that it will oppose bail when that stage arrives.

For the family, the wait continues in a community that knows who the child is. The support the department describes is counselling and contact. It does not change the fact that the girl is back in the same streets while the man accused of raping her prepares a new defence team.

The Enquirer will follow the case through the next court date and report what the court decides on bail.

Source: SABC News, Rape case against Soweto teacher postponed