Dros to ‘cover medical costs of 7-year-old'
The Dros restaurant in Silverton has vowed to pay the medical costs of a 7-year-old rape victim.
This after the girl raped by a 20-year-old man in one of the eatery’s bathrooms at the weekend.
Advocacy group, #NotInMyName, which focuses on the rights of children women in South Africa, visited the Pretoria restaurant on Thursday following a national outcry.
The group’s secretary-general Themba Masango says Dros has committed to assisting the young girl and her family.
“Dros told us today that they will now take care of medical costs of the child and the family in terms of counselling and obviously medical costs of the child. This includes the staff that was also affected, they need to make sure that there is a counselor that will counsel the people here.”
Masango says the eatery has also committed to beefing up security at the play area.
Dros has come under heavy criticism from the public for its perceived passive response to the rape.
#NotInMyName has described the restaurant group’s response as ‘nonchalant’, reducing the rape to a mere ‘incident’.
Its president, Siyabulela Jentile, says they will be present at the Pretoria Magistrates court on October 2, when the suspect will make his second appearance.
The 20-year-old suspect made his first court appearance in court on Tuesday.
The case was postponed and the suspect remanded in custody.
The restaurant declined to comment.