Key Points
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A convicted rapist allegedly abducted and raped a girl on parole.
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Community action helped rescue the child from further harm.
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The case exposes flaws in South Africa’s parole system.
A 51-year-old parolee, convicted nearly two decades ago for raping a 10-year-old, has been arrested and charged with abducting and raping a 9-year-old girl in Hanover Park.
The girl had been on her way to Madrassa when she was allegedly lured into the suspect’s home, drugged, and assaulted.
Thanks to quick action from vigilant neighbors, the child was found curled up in the backyard of the accused’s home.
Surveillance footage confirmed she had entered but never left. He was arrested and charged with abduction, rape, sexual assault, and human trafficking.
The man, released on parole in November 2024, had served 16 years of a 25-year sentence.
Community outrage has grown amid concerns that the South Africa parole system continues to fail vulnerable children.
Another victim harmed by the South Africa parole system
The suspect’s parole status has reignited debate over the justice system’s ability to monitor high-risk offenders.
Acting Western Cape Police Commissioner Maj. Gen. Bongani Maqashalala confirmed that the man, originally from Hanover Park, had returned to the same community where he previously offended.
DCS spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said parole revocation proceedings have begun, and an internal investigation is under way.
He admitted the system faces challenges, particularly in community awareness and communication about dangerous parolees.
Parliamentarians and child safety advocates are demanding urgent reform. DA MP Nicholas Gotsell noted that 10.6 percent of released parolees in Cape Flats communities reoffended within a year.
A call for transparency and stronger protections for children
Child advocacy leaders and activists condemned the government’s failures. Dr. Shaheda Omar from The Teddy Bear Clinic highlighted that children in South Africa go missing or are murdered at alarming rates—many by repeat offenders.
Lucinda Evans, a gender-based violence activist, criticized the secrecy surrounding the National Sexual Offenses Register.
She argued the public must be informed if dangerous offenders return to their neighborhoods.
The victim’s family is still grappling with the trauma. Her mother says the child is no longer the same. “She was always full of life.
Now she stops mid-play and zones out,” she said. Her grandmother added, “She walked straight into evil.”
Activists and community leaders are calling for transparency, a publicly accessible offender registry, and a complete overhaul of how high-risk offenders are released and monitored under the South Africa parole system.
