Bergview College Principal Identified as One of the Three Suspects as #JusticeForCwecwe Movement Goes National
Since the tragic story of the seven-year-old girl who was raped in Bergview College on the 14th of October 2024 resurfaced early last week, South Africans have been stoking the flames of the #JusticeForCwecwe campaign, pressing government and the police for arrests and a way forward. Police minister Senzo Mchunu has announced that three suspects have been listed in the brutal sexual assault of the former Bergview scholar, one of the suspects being the principal of the school, Jaco Pieterse, who has been feeling the most heat from the public due to not complying with the investigation.
Late last year, the victim was raped in the school premises while she was waiting for her transport to take her back home. Retelling the devastating story, the little girl’s mother noted that her child kept on complaining about pain in her bums and that she could not sleep because of it and she was struggling to walk. Upon checking up on her child, she discovered that her anus was “the size of a tissue roll”, according to one video where she recollects what happened. It was only after multiple visits to medical practitioners that it was confirmed that the little girl had been sexually assaulted, and that sperm fluids were found in her vagina and inside her anus.
South Africans have been calling for heads to roll, with the principal being spotlighted because he refused to provide sperm samples to aid in the investigation. Pieterse is currently being legally backed by AfriForum.
Jaco Pieterse | SUPPLIED
And while three suspects have been identified, including Jaco, no formal arrests have been made concerning the matter.
Despite the detours of the legal system in handling the matter, the Eastern Cape Department of Education has taken steps to deregister Bergview College, with the reigning Minister of Education Siviwe Gwarube calling for the expedition of the investigation so that justice will be administered swiftly, calling upon Mchunu for assistance in this.
“The investigations are being handled with the utmost seriousness and priority. The South African Police Service is working diligently to ensure that justice is served and that those responsible are held accountable,” said the Police Minister.
Over the weekend, the #JusticeforCwecwe marches have mushroomed all over the country as the general public has taken matters into their own hands. What started out as a silent and peaceful demonstration at the Matatiele school has resulted in marches being organised and held all over Mzansi. From Durban and Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal to Wits students protesting and people gathering in Braamfontein, there have been calls circulating throughout the socials to escalate the movement to a national level.
#JusticeforCwecwe protest in Durban | SUPPLIED
While nothing has been confirmed, there have been calls by the people and Gender-Based Violence organisations to hold a #JusticeForCwecwe-oriented national shutdown on the 1st of April 2025, with the co-ordinated protest being held in all provinces to show solidarity in the fight for justice and the scourge of sexual assualt in the country.
To show their support, a petition was started on the 27th of March 2025, which has since amassed over 750 000 signatures by the time of this article’s publication. And a fundraiser was started on the socials, urging those involved to donate whatever they had to the mother’s bank account. According to Raymond RK Mayekisa on Facebook, a philanthropist involved in the fundraising campaign, the money has reached over 200 000 rands.
This is a developing story.