Bergview College deregistered after r*pe of 7-year-old
The Eastern Cape Department of Education has deregistered Bergview College, an independent school in Matatiele, Eastern Cape, following the alleged r*pe of a seven-year-old learner on October 14, 2024.
The incident allegedly occurred on school premises while the child, a Grade 1 pupil, was waiting for her transport home. According to reports, she was called by a school caretaker to sweep a classroom at the far end of the building. The child later recounted feeling tired after noticing a strange smell in the room, and she has no clear memory of what happened next until she was woken by the transport driver to go home.
Her parents became aware of the assault the following day, October 15, when a doctor confirmed she had been r*ped, revealing she had been violated both v*ginally and an*lly.
The severity of the assault required immediate medical attention; she was initially given medication at a local facility and then admitted to a private hospital in Port Shepstone, a three-hour drive away, where she spent two weeks recovering due to the physical trauma and associated pain.
The child’s mother, a police warrant officer, reported the case to the Matatiele police, who took the girl to a Thuthuzela Care Centre for assessment. However, progress on the investigation has been slow, with the mother alleging police inaction, including delays in assigning social workers and taking the child’s statement, which only occurred weeks later. The child has suffered significant psychological distress, experiencing nightmares and ongoing trauma, as noted by her mother. Adding to the family’s anguish, Bergview College issued a transfer letter, effectively expelling the child without the parents’ request, instead of addressing the incident or supporting her recovery. The school’s principal allegedly urged the mother to keep silent to protect the institution’s reputation, and the school’s handling of the case coupled with the principal’s reported refusal to cooperate fully with police and his refusal to have his DNA sample taken prompted the department’s decision to deregister the school.
The deregistration, effective within 24 hours of the notice issued on March 28, 2025, aims to relocate all pupils to safer environments, reflecting the department’s stance that the school failed to ensure a secure setting.
The child, now eight, and her family continue to seek justice under the hashtag #JusticeForCwecwe, amid widespread.
