Not in front of the children!

A clinical social worker, Ms Pfarelo Mathivha of the Isa Foundation, has warned parents to stop having sexual intercourse in front of children. This follows after the news broke that a three-year-old girl was raped by two nine-year-old boys in Ngwenani ya Themeli.

According to the provincial commissioner of the South African Police Service in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, the incident took place on Saturday, 9 March. “As per the account provided by the victim's mother, the young girl was playing with other children before returning home,” he said. The girl complained about experiencing discomfort in her private areas. “She confided in her mother about the pain and disclosed that two boys had raped her during play. The mother promptly sought medical assistance, and a subsequent examination by a doctor confirmed the harrowing act,” said Hadebe.

Hadebe said that because the case involved minors, the engagement of a probation officer and social worker had been initiated to provide the necessary support and intervention.

The mother of the young girl said the incident still hurt her and she was helping her daughter receive psychological help. “She reported to me, and I took her to the hospital as she had a little bruise on her private part to show that she was sexually assaulted. I am glad for the support we are getting from social workers,” she said.

According to one of the residents, who refused to be named, the boys are known to be troublemakers who have dropped out of school. "They are always lingering around and known to be mentally disturbed. But now we are shocked and left with questions as to where they learned it from,” he said.

Ms Mathivha said many things led to children’s knowing about sex at a young age. “As a social worker who has worked with children who were abused and those who have sexually abused other children, there are so many reasons why children act out sexually to other children. It could be that a child is a victim of abuse, which then leads him to act out or inflict pain on other children, or maybe a child witnessed parents or two adults engaging in sexual activities. It can also be that the child was exposed to sexual acts through social media. But that is a sign of something else,” she said.

Mathivha said such incidents were difficult for parents to prevent from happening. “Our children are exposed to so many things that parents often do not have control over. But we need to psycho-educate our children on the importance of knowing their body parts and the role they play in their bodies. Children need to be taught about safety nets and the importance of reporting everything to their parents or trusted family members. Organisations must have life-skills programmes that run throughout the year to make sure children are well groomed.” she said.

Date:15 March 2024

By: Maanda Bele

Maanda  Bele, born and raised in Nzhelele Siloam, studied journalism at the Tshwane University of Technology.

He is passionate about current news and international affairs.

He worked as part of the Zoutnet team as an intern in 2017.

He is currently a freelance journalist specialising in news from the Vhembe district.

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