Five arrested in bus rank sexual assault
Pini Bothoko | Friday June 23, 2017 15:40
A group of grown up men and women stripped naked, insulted, mocked the woman with the other one recording the unfortunate incident.
In an interview with Mmegi, Borakanelo police station commander, superintendent Mothusi Phadi confirmed to have arrested five men who are yet to appear in court.
“Following the information we gathered during the investigations, we managed to identify five men who were arrested and later released. Investigations on the matter are still ongoing and the suspects are yet to appear before court,” Phadi said.
Phadi disclosed that one of the suspects has confessed to the offence and is due to be brought before the judiciary officer for a confession statement.
“We are still waiting for the date for the judiciary officer to record a confession statement from him. Following this, an arraignment of the suspects will be made because the victim has opened an assault case against them,” Phadi said.
He stated that the suspects are facing an indecent assault offense of Section 146 (3) of the Penal Code which state that, ‘Whoever, intending to insult the modesty of any woman, utters any words, makes any sound or gesture or exhibit any object intending that such word or sound shall be heard, or that such gesture or object shall be seen by such woman or intrude upon the privacy of such woman is guilty of an offense and liable to imprisonment of a term not exceeding one year’.
Phadi said that this should be a wake up call to men for them to reflect on themselves and learn to respect women.
He said despite having acted in that awkward behaviour, those men are brothers, fathers and husbands to some women hence the need to learn to appreciate and respect women even if not related to them in any way.
Phadi called on women to consider wearing clothes that will appear appropriate in other people’s eyes despite having the right to wear what they want.
He stated that doing so would help to curb unnecessary offences, giving an example with what transpired at the Bus rank and more serious offences like rape.
“Even if it can happen that a women can dress in a manner that disturbs other people, I plead with men to consider giving them advice in a calm manner rather than violating their rights because doing so is against the law,” Phadi said.
The video went viral on Facebook a day after the incident with Batswana despite their gender, the country’s leadership and gender advocacy organisations releasing statements condemning what transpired.
Gender advocacy organisations called on the enforcement of the law following the country’s signing of the SADC protocol on gender and development that reflects the country’s commitment in fighting all forms of discrimination.