WeeklySA_AdminORDEAL: The grandparents of an eight-year-old Gauteng girl say they received little guidance while navigating the medical, psychological and criminal justice systems after she was allegedly assaulted by a security guard at her school…
By Lerato Kodisang
The grandparents of an eight-year-old Lenasia South girl say they were left to navigate the medical, psychosocial and criminal justice systems largely on their own after she was allegedly sexually assaulted by a security guard at her school.
They describe the struggle to secure help and information as a second trauma for the Grade 3 learner and her family.
Thandeka*, 49, says the family became alarmed when her granddaughter stopped speaking normally, cried constantly and became terrified of returning to school.
“She speaks like a toddler, cries constantly, is always sad and zones out,” she says.
The family alleges that the assault took place at Kiasha Park Primary School in Lenasia South in April. Health-e News is withholding the names of the child and her family to protect her identity.
According to Thandeka, the family approached the school in April to report the matter.
“I saw how she ran and screamed when she saw the security guard when we were at the school to report the case,” she says. “She is not okay. She is traumatised.” The security guard appeared in court on a sexual assault charge in May, but the case was referred for further police investigation.
Kiasha Park Primary School, through the Gauteng Department of Education, confirmed that the guard had since returned to duty. The department says he was assigned to night shift and was not expected to have direct contact with learners.
However, Thandeka says the family feared for the child’s safety and removed her from the school.
“I feared for her life,” she says.
Family struggles to find support
After the girl disclosed the alleged assault, the family initially took her to a private doctor and later to a public health facility, where she underwent a forensic examination.
They opened a criminal case at the Lenasia South police station in May. Health-e News has seen a medical certificate confirming that the child was examined on May 26 and verified that a case was opened at the police station.
Despite receiving medical attention, Thandeka says the family did not understand what support should follow or which institutions were responsible for helping them.
“My granddaughter did not receive any support from the school,” she says. “Even today, neither the school nor the Department of Basic Education has communicated any progress or asked about her whereabouts.”
The learner was allowed to write her mid-year assessments at home, which her grandmother submitted on her behalf. She has since been enrolled at a private school in Orange Farm.
Thandeka says her husband eventually contacted the Teddy Bear Clinic in June after the family received no meaningful assistance from the school.
“No government department helped us,” she says. “We sought help for our granddaughter ourselves. It is too much. This case is not moving.”
The family says prosecutors later indicated that the child required further psychological preparation before court proceedings could continue, after inconsistencies emerged in earlier statements.
Records supplied by the Teddy Bear Clinic show that a forensic assessment file was opened for the child on June 4 and that an assessment was conducted that day.
A follow-up appointment was scheduled and a court-preparation file opened on June 29. Her first therapy session took place on July 16.
The child’s therapist says she has been booked for continuing therapy and court preparation.
Teddy Bear Clinic chief executive Dr Shaheda Omar says counselling is generally arranged within a week of a referral, while children experiencing acute trauma may receive crisis intervention sooner.
The clinic works with the South African Police Service, National Prosecuting Authority and the departments of health and basic education through established referral pathways and, where necessary, case conferences.
“If a child returns to the school where an alleged assault took place, it is essential to ensure that the child is not subjected to further trauma or secondary victimisation,” Omar says.
She says protective measures should include removing an alleged perpetrator from the environment to ensure that the person poses no risk to the child or other learners.
Poverty can also prevent families from continuing therapy, Omar says, because some must choose between paying for transport to counselling appointments and buying food.
“It is critical that a child who has experienced sexual violence feels validated: ‘I see you; I hear you; I believe you; and I will support you.’”
Departments respond
Gauteng authorities say every child who reports to one of the province’s designated Clinical Forensic Medicine Centres or Thuthuzela Care Centres should receive immediate trauma containment before undergoing a forensic examination.
Children should also be referred to social workers for psychotherapy, continuing counselling, follow-up medical examinations and other support where necessary.
The province has 27 Clinical Forensic Medicine Centres, including seven Thuthuzela Care Centres offering integrated medical, psychological and legal services.
The Gauteng Department of Education confirmed that the alleged perpetrator was arrested in May but later released after police found that the available evidence, including CCTV footage, was inconclusive at that stage of the investigation.
A Department spokesperson says the guard was subsequently assigned to night-shift duties and was not scheduled to have direct contact with learners while the investigation continued.
The department also says police referred the learner to the Teddy Bear Clinic, where a social worker was assigned to her, and that its psychosocial support team was dispatched to the school.
An internal investigation into whether the required reporting procedures and learner-support measures were followed remains under way.
Thandeka disputes the department’s assertion that the family received adequate guidance and feedback. She insists that the family contacted the Teddy Bear Clinic without assistance from the department.
She also says neither the school nor the department has provided updates about its investigation or properly explained why the guard was allowed to return to the premises.
Months later, she says, the family also has little clarity about the criminal investigation.
“There is no clear way forward from SAPS or the investigating officer about the prosecution status,” she says.
WIDER SYSTEMIC FAILURES
An Africa Check analysis of SAPS crime statistics found that more than 22,000 sexual offences against children under 18 were reported in South Africa during the 2024/25 financial year—an average of about 60 cases a day.
Nonhlanhla Pinkoane, a legal officer at Lawyers Against Abuse, says the Lenasia South case reflects broader difficulties experienced by families after reporting sexual violence.
“Dedicated child-survivor support coordinators are needed to ensure referrals are properly tracked, appointments are attended and gaps in service delivery are identified,” she says.
Pinkoane says many families and survivors do not know their rights or how the system is supposed to operate.
“This leads to failures in identifying when investigating officers are not doing their work properly, and accountability is lacking,” she says.
“The current response system also fails dismally at explaining the system to ordinary members of the community affected by gender-based violence.”
After missing months of school during the second term, the girl has started attending classes at her new school in Orange Farm.
Thandeka says her granddaughter recently underwent another forensic examination at the Teddy Bear Clinic and will continue receiving counselling at its Soweto branch while the family waits for clarity about the criminal case. — Health-e News
• Not her real name.
