Civil society organisation AfriForum says that it accepts the apology from Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, after receiving a letter from him apologising for erroneously naming the Principal of Bergview College in Matatiele as a suspect in the rape of a 7-year-old girl at the school.

The matter prompted public outrage, following the girl’s mother asking for justice for her child during an interview. The school’s principal faced harassment, with some politicians calling for his arrest.

Spokesperson for the AfriForum Private Prosecution Unit, Barry Bateman says, “We believe it is a positive step towards correcting what is patently an injustice committed against Mr. Jaco Pieterse, but also I’ll go even further and say that there are other people who have been implicated in this, the caretaker and the scholar transport driver. But the big issue here is the misinformation that has been circulating around this case, and it was in large part due to what the Minister had said in that statement. We accept that we will not pursue a charge against him. However, there are other individuals, including secretary general Fikile Mbalula, who at the NEC briefing made the allegations of AfriForum protecting an animal. There is Julius Malema, who outright referred to Mr. Pieterse as a rapist.”

VIDEO | AfriForum demands apology from Mchunu