A South African man from Evaton in Vanderbijlpark faces intense public backlash for posting a disturbing comment on Facebook about Cwecwe, a seven-year-old girl who was raped on October 14, 2024, that has sparked outrage across the country.
The lack of substantial progress by authorities in probing the case has set off a storm that has gone global as people fight for justice for Cwecwe who was raped while waiting for transport at Bergview College in Matatiele in the Eastern Cape.
Ivan T Twaba Stebu, as his Facebook name states, made a derogatory statement that appeared to ridicule Cwecwe and her rape situation. This post immediately went viral, igniting heated discussions and online criticism, drawing condemnation from the public, gender-based violence activists and law enforcements officials.
His post in Setswana read: "Ya Cwecwe ya gripa" (Cwecwe's v****a is tight).
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“This kind of rhetoric is dangerous and irresponsible. It emboldens perpetrators and retraumatises victims,” said a spokesperson for a leading women’s rights organisation, Women for Change.
“We need to hold individuals accountable for the words they put out into the world, especially on public platforms.”
Another outraged X user named Thulani Ndaba took to the platform and said Stebu must get a citizen arrest.
"If he doesn't hand himself to the police, anyone who sees him must grab him and call the authorities. We don't need such people in our society, people who think everything is a joke!"
After the post went viral, another post from Stebu profile made rounds on social media claiming that his account was hacked, "I am terribly sorry for the inconvenience caused by the recent post posted on my account. My account was hacked, I'm really sorry for such a post. I wouldn't post something like that because I have a child." he said.
But authorities are having none of it, even disbelieving his claim that his profile was hacked.
The Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster (JCPS) issued a statement that said was "deeply disheartening" that some social media users would stoop so low to exploit such a sensitive case involving a minor just to get attention.
"Such behaviour is not only reckless but also highly insensitive to the victim, the victim’s family, and the broader community. Such must be viewed in serious light and misuse of social media must never be tolerated.
"The public should use social media platforms responsibly and sensibly. We can all work together to ensure that justice is pursued with dignity and respect."
JCPS emphasised that Stebu's post has been escalated to the South African Police Service (SAPS) and necessary investigations will take place to confirm if the user was hacked when the post was distributed to the public. If not, then there will be legal repercussions for the user.
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