- The close-knit Klawer community is reeling following the arrest of a farmer and his wife in connection with the kidnapping and assault of a 14-year-old girl from the area.
- Stephanus Nieuwoudt and his wife, Maria, are accused of assaulting and traumatising the teenager, apparently to the extent that she cannot sleep.
- The man was granted R5 000 bail while his wife was released on a warning.
The arrest of a farmer and his wife from Klawer in the Western Cape on charges of allegedly assaulting and kidnapping a 14-year-old girl from the area has sent shockwaves throughout the close-knit farming community.
Stephanus Nieuwoudt, 58, and his wife, Maria, were arrested last week and appeared in the Klawer Magistrate's Court this week.
The arrest of the couple from Trawal near Klawer, brings to two the number of violent cases in the area involving a teenager this year.
Klawer first dominated headlines following the murder of 13-year-old Jerobejin van Wyk in February.
Mere days after he went missing, in a shock to the small town, his remains were found in a drain on the property of 54-year-old Daniel Smith who is accused of the boy's murder.
Smith faces charges of murder, kidnapping and defeating the ends of justice.
The murder exposed deep underlying social problems, fuelling a spike in crime in the area, with farming groups raising concerns about the treatment of farm workers and their families.
The co-founder of the Ubuntu Rural Women and Youth Movement, Wendy Pekeur, said: "This has opened up wounds of Jerobejin.
"Children have rights in this country, and we demand that the law takes its course, and let there be justice for this little girl."
Pekeur stressed much more had to be done to change the dynamics in rural towns where farmers were still seen as the "baas, or oubaas" and workers struggle to be treated as equals.
The director of the Rural and Farmworkers' Development Organisation, Billy Claasen, said the incident involving the teenage girl occurred on Tuesday, 30 August.
"It is alleged that the farmer and his wife assaulted and heavily traumatised this kid, to the extent that she cannot sleep.
"It is unacceptable that children are not safe in the Klawer area," he said.
Claasen called on the provincial police commissioner to send a team of senior investigators to prioritise the case and probe all allegations.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the couple faced charges of kidnapping, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and crimen injuria.
"The matter was set down for a formal bail application, and the State opposed the release of accused one [Stephanus].
"Both parties proceeded by submitting affidavits, with the State presenting one prepared by Sergeant Abrahams.
"The husband also submitted an affidavit. The wife was released on a warning. The husband was granted R5 000 bail on condition that he does not have any contact with the complainant and does not go to the farm where the complainant resides," Ntabazalila added.
Matzikama Municipality Mayor Johan van der Hoven said he was shocked by the arrest of Nieuwoudt and his wife in connection with the assault and kidnapping of the girl.
"We condemn acts of violence against women and children and firmly believe that the law must take its course.
"If a person is found guilty, there must be consequences and sentences that act as a deterrent," he added.