SAPS 'devastated' after officer implicated in sexual assault at AB Xuma
Gauteng police commissioner Deliwe de Lange has described it as "devastating", allegations that a South African Police Service (SAPS) forensic investigator sexually abused to minors at AB Xuma Primary in Soweto.
Two pupils have allegedly been sexually assaulted for a second time, this time by the forensic investigator involved in the case.
The SAPS Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) unit investigator allegedly molested two grade 3 learners, aged 7 and 8 years old.
"If it is true it is devastating," says police spokesperson Mathapelo Peters.
The investigator was part of a team probing more than 80 incidents of sexual assault at the school, allegedly by a 57-year-old school patroller.
ALSO READ: Another incident of sexual assault at AB Xuma
"These allegations are quite serious so we therefore wish to assure all parties concerned that the matter is receiving the necessary attention as a matter of priority. This is also a very sensitive matter as it involves minors, and therefore needs to be handled with utmost caution."
The officer has already been withdrawn from the case and a case of sexual assault has also been opened against him by parents.
"It is within this context that police are pleading with the affected parties including the school, the media, and the general public to allow the SAPS the necessary space to investigate," said Peters.