School Where 7-year-old Was Allegedly Raped Wont Be Deregistered

The Department of Education in the Eastern Cape says it has rescinded its decision to deregister a school where a seven-year-old girl was allegedly raped in Matatiele - an incident that has caused a public outcry.

Last week, Education MEC Fundile Gade issued a notice to deregister the school, if it is not cooperating with law enforcement agencies.

Provincial Department Spokesperson Vuyiseka Mboxela says a joint justice cluster has been established to investigating the matter, hence withdrawing the notice.

"Indeed, the department is consulting with the justice system of the country and we have been informed that there is a multi-disciplinary team that has been informed from national to the Eastern Cape to work on the widely reported sexual assault in Matatiele. The matter is receiving the attention it deserves hence the department took a decision to rescind the school," says Mboxela.

Civic organisations and political parties in the Buffalo City Metro are calling for the protection of the DNA samples of the possible suspects in the rape case of a seven-year-old girl in Matatiele in the Eastern Cape.