Girl takes her life after telling dad of abuse

A grieving Mpumalanga father has been left with unanswered questions after his 16-year-old daughter took her life shortly after telling him that she had just been sexually assaulted.

In addition to having to deal with his daughter’s suicide, he ended up being shot the same evening during a confrontation with his late wife’s family over the girl’s death.

The tragedy happened in the township of Pienaar, Mbombela, on Thursday, a day before South Africans took to the streets to protest about the high number of gender-based violence (GBV) cases.

Protesters observed 15 minutes of silence to highlight the average of 15 lives lost daily to GBV in the country.

The teen’s devastated father, Themba Gama, told Sowetan that he had immediately sensed something was wrong when his usually cheerful daughter looked sad on the day she returned home from school and killed herself.

“My daughter is usually always laughing and making jokes. But when she came into the house, her eyes looked like she had been crying. I asked her what was wrong.”

Gama said his daughter then started crying.

“That’s when she told me that someone had touched her private parts by force,” he said.

Gama said his daughter described the clothing of the man who had allegedly assaulted her, and he took her with him as they scoured the neighbourhood, looking for the perpetrator.

I have asked the police for a post-mortem because I want to know what really happened to my daughter and what led to her killing herself.
— Themba Gama

Their search was unsuccessful and they returned home.

Gama said he then left his daughter at home and went to fetch her younger sister from school, intending to talk to her in detail on his return.

“I wanted to understand if this was someone from her school or an older person. But when we came back from school, we found her dead,” said Gama.

“I am left with more questions,” he said.

“I have asked the police for a post-mortem because I want to know what really happened to my daughter and what led to her killing herself.”

Gama said his younger daughter later told him that her sister had previously complained more than once about a man who had been harassing her.

He said he tried to get more information from her, but police advised him not to question the child further, as they would speak to her themselves.

As the family tried to process the shock of the tragedy, further chaos erupted that same evening, resulting in the father being shot and the arrest of a local councillor.

Mpumalanga police spokesperson Lt-Col Jabu Ndubane said that while the grieving father was at home at about 7.30pm, members of his late wife’s family arrived and confronted him, accusing him of not informing them of the teen’s death. An altercation broke out between the parties.

During the confrontation, a Ward 29 Mbombela councillor who is known to the mother’s family allegedly became involved. Police say the councillor drew a firearm and fired a shot, grazing both the father and a neighbour who attempted to intervene.

Both were taken to hospital.

The councillor was arrested the following day and is expected to appear in the Kanyamazane periodical court on two counts of attempted murder.

Acting provincial police commissioner Maj-Gen Zeph Mkhwanazi welcomed the councillor’s arrest and criticised his behaviour.

“Instead of assisting in resolving the dispute between the families, he resorted to violence,” Mkhwanazi said.

Ward 24 councillor Mandla Siboza said residents were shocked by the teen’s death and the arrest of the councillor.

Siboza said he has spoken to the councillor, who insisted that he was not inside the house when the shooting happened.

“He told me he heard there was an altercation at the house and rushed over. Because he was wearing short pants, he says he did not enter the house out of respect. While he was outside, he heard people fighting and then gunshots,” Siboza said.

“We are distraught as the community. We are very saddened by what happened to the 16-year-old girl, and we are confused about the councillor’s arrest. No one truly knows what happened that day,” he said.

Ndubane said they have opened an inquest case relating to the child’s death. She also said more charges may be laid against the councillor, as he does not possess a valid licence for the firearm used in the shooting.