Matatiele child rape: Mchunu admits mistake, apologises to principal he wrongly accused | News24 (2025)

• A mother’s claims that police failed to properly investigate the rape of her seven-year-old child in October last year resulted in a wave of social media outrage and protests.
• While the child’s mother believes she was sexually assaulted at Bergview College inMatatiele, AfriForum (who is advising the school’s principal) has raised serious concerns about these claims.
• Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has now written to AfriForum's private prosecution head Gerrie Nel and admitted that he wrongly identified the school’s principal as a suspect.

Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has admitted that he wrongly identified Jaco Pieterse, the principal of Bergview College inMatatiele, as a suspect in the rape of a 7-year-old - and says he is prepared to apologise to him.

"I have human and personal empathy for your client and any other person who might have been wrongly fingered as a suspect in circumstances where he or they were only persons of interest," Mchunu wrote in a letter addressed to AfriForum advocate Gerrie Nel, who is providing legal advice to Pieterse.

"I categorically state that I never at any stage had an intention to defame your client nor any other person for that matter."

Mchunu has taken responsibility for a29 March media statement issued by his ministry, in which he identified "three individuals, including the school principal" as suspects in the case - without explaining why.

"As the Minister of Police, I take responsibility for the statement in question. I would like to assure you that it was issued in good faith and there was no malicious intent whatsoever," he wrote to Nel.

"I authorised the issuing of the statement on the basis of information I had received and I had no reason not to believe in the truthfulness of the information that was placed before me. It later emerged that this information was inaccurate, a matter that will be addressed internally by the National Commissioner of Police."

READ |Matatiele child rape: Education department withdraws notice to deregister Bergview College

Mchunu stressed that, in discharging his responsibilities as police minister, "I strive to be honest, but may not be perfect".

"I also need to state that in the course of investigating crimes by SAPS, mistakes will be committed and no one can say that there will be no mistakes going forward. There is no inherent malice in committing a mistake - human beings are prone to error, even though we strive for perfection all the time."

Pieterse has toldNews24that the false accusation of child rape against him "has had devastating consequences on every aspect of my life".

"Personally, my family and I have suffered immense psychological trauma, threats to our safety and lives, and were forced into hiding - abandoning our home, losing peace of mind, and normal family life," he said.

"Professionally, my career, reputation, and future employability have been severely damaged. Financially, our family has lost income from both my job and my wife's guesthouse, incurred unexpected relocation and security expenses, and now faces long-term financial insecurity.

"The stigma and fear surrounding the accusation have stripped me of dignity, community standing, and professional credibility, with the potential to leave lasting emotional, social, and economic scars. These traumatic events caused a catastrophic and life-altering impact on our present and future."

He confirmed that he was considering criminal charges and "civil lawsuits to address the wrongdoing".

Barry Bateman, spokesperson for AfriForum’s private prosecution unit who assisted Pieterse, said the trauma suffered by him and his family was entirely avoidable.

"This unfortunate incident has highlighted the importance of following due process and allowing police to conduct their investigation without interference from social media detectives, ill-informed politicians and state officials. Gender-based violence, particularly against children, requires extreme caution where a child's best interests must be prioritised in all decisions and actions. The false allegations against Pieterse and others have hampered the proper administration of justice."

It is unclear, at this point, whether Mchunu’s apology will stem the tide of social media harassment, threats and abuse that Pieterse and his family have faced since the mother of a seven-year-old Bergview pupil went public with her accusations that police and school authorities had failed to properly investigate and address her daughter’s rape.

Those threats only intensified after Pieterse, who was not on the school property where child’s mother believed se was raped, declined toprovide a DNA sample to the police – because the investigating officer had told him that "this was not SAPS procedure, but it was a request from the mother".

Pieterse said:

Police have now confirmed that no foreign DNA was found on the child or her clothing.

But, as a result of Pieterse asking that police make a formal request for his DNA, several high-profile political leaders – includingEastern Cape Education MEC FundileGade – contended that he had something to hide and fueled speculation that he was the main suspect.

Gade even suggested, without any basis, that Pieterse may be linked to other alleged sexual assaults.

Speaking on behalf of the ANC, secretary-general Fikile Mbalula condemned AfriForum’s legal assistance of Pieterse as "disgraceful" and said it shielded "suspects rather than standing for justice".

"You see, when a person is sick, a rape is seven years old, it is not a question of consciousness that you need to convert this person. It is an animal. There is nothing you can do about that. It is not a person who can rape a seven-year-old. That's not a human being," he said at the time.

"That's why we say AfriForum goes and defends such people. Animals, you know, raping a seven-year-old, I mean, that is even beyond animals. I don't know, it's cannibalism. So, such people, the law must be harsh on them."

Mchunu’s statement now demonstrates that these highly incendiary statements were not based on any real evidence. But it remains unclear whether the politicians who targeted Pieterse will now apologise.

Bateman toldNews24that despite "being vilified, AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit remains undeterred in its objective to ensure that justice is served without fear, favour or prejudice".

He added:

In a previous presentation to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police, SAPS revealed that the investigation into the rape had been delayed, because the child’s mother was refusing to let her see a forensic social worker.

"Due to challenges experienced with the disclosure, the arrangements were made with the Department of Health for both the victim and the mother to be evaluated and be assisted with psycho-social intervention on the 7th of April 2025," reads the police's presentation to the committee.

"However, the mother refused, which further delays the finalisation of the case."

At a subsequent scheduled appointment with a forensic social worker, the "forensic social worker could not get access to the victim, as the mother indicated that the victim was sick, and that she would inform the forensic social worker when the victim is well", the presentation stated.

"The forensic social worker is awaiting the mother's feedback on the condition of the victim, for further engagement with the victim."

It remains unclear whether that appointment, which will arguably be crucial to determining the child’s account of her alleged sexual assault, has happened.

HeartFM has reported that a previous social worker’s report had recorded that the child had "denied having been sexually assaulted", and said she was suffering from stomach problems.

"According to the document, the social worker's report suggests that the child showed no signs of trauma and was adamant she wasn't sexually violated," it stated in a report.

"The document in our possession concludes with reasons why the NPA [National Prosecuting Authority] decided not to prosecute the case last year. The prosecutor indicated that there was no prima facie evidence for successful prosecution and that the child wasn't disclosing an offence."

The NPA has declined to comment and said it "was not aware of the document" referred to in the reporting.