A South African NGO, Save Our Girls, has filed a case in the Johannesburg High Court against ZANU PF activist Rutendo Matinyarare over his paedo tweets.
Save Our Girls is challenging what they see as inadequate legal protections for young girls in South Africa. The group argues that current laws effectively allow paedophilia. According to the Sexual Offences and Related Matters Amendment Act, a child is anyone under 18, but the law sets a lower age threshold of 12-16 for sexual offences.
South African NGO Files Court Case Against ZANU PF Activist Rutendo Matinyarare Over Paedo Tweets
In their Notice of Motion, Save Our Girls claims the law “legalises paedophilia, is not in the best interests of the child, and is thereby unconstitutional and unlawful.” The NGO is pushing for an amendment to the law to ensure better protection for children.
The NGO names Rutendo Matinyarare, Zimbabwean billionaire Kuda Tagwirei, and South Africa’s ministers of home affairs, basic education, and women and youth as respondents. The Citizen reported that Tagwirei is a respondent because he allegedly funds Matinyarare.
Matinyarare allegedly fled South Africa after being convicted of contempt of court in a defamation case in which he claimed that Zimbabwean company Innscor sells genetically modified food. A Johannesburg court slapped him with a suspended three-month sentence on the condition that he delete the posts. He did not.
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The Controversial Social Media Posts
Save Our Girls brought to the Court’s attention a tweet by Matinyarare in which he said:
“When you date 16-year-olds you get the bonus of also smashing their mums when you are feeling like mature wine.”
He even added:
“Tender and impressionable. Still having dreams before being abused by bad boys.”
The posts triggered one South African woman, and she reacted:
“I am the mother of a 10-year-old girl. She clearly isn’t safe with the likes of you around.” Matinyarare responded: “When she gets to 16, let me know.”
In April this year, Matinyarare defended his triggering tweets:
“Young women who are sexually emancipated to have sex have a right to choose who they sleep with, without anyone trying to police their bodies and their choices. Who are you to dictate who young women can sleep with?”
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The post South African NGO Files Court Case Against ZANU PF Activist Rutendo Matinyarare Over Paedo Tweets, Drags Kuda Tagwirei’s Name appeared first on iHarare News.
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