Zenizole Vena

15-year-old Zenizole Vena reportedly told the woman who found her that she knew the two men who raped her. Image: Supplied

Zenizole Vena: Family blames Health Department for gang-raped teen’s death

Zenizole Vena was allegedly gang-raped and was reportedly turned away from a clinic in Motherwell. She later died at a police station.

Zenizole Vena

15-year-old Zenizole Vena reportedly told the woman who found her that she knew the two men who raped her. Image: Supplied

The family of 15-year-old Zenizole Vena who was allegedly gang-raped and then later died at the Motherwell Police station is blaming the Department of Health for her death. 

Vena reportedly managed to escaped after the alleged gang rape and was snubbed at a local clinic and was instead told to go to the police station first before they could assist her. 

ZENIZOLE VENA’S FAMILY ON HER DEATH

According to Women4Change Zenizole Vena, 15 was allegedly held hostage and gang-raped, but managed to escape the horrific ordeal. It’s understood she went to a clinic in Motherwell but was rejected, and told to go to a police station. Zenizole died inside the police station. No one has been arrested yet.

The clinic in Motherwell has since been closed. 

As previously reported, the DA’s Nqaba Bhanga in the Eastern Cape accused Police Minister, Bheki Cele of doing nothing to prevent cases of Gender-Based Violence. 

“How can a child, a survivor of such atrocious abuse, be left to die on her own in the waiting room of a police station, with no one there to help her? In this girl’s hour of need, our public institutions failed her. The people employed by the state to help her, failed her.

“Where is Police Minister Bheki Cele now? Where is the 72-hour manhunt to bring Vena’s alleged abductors and rapists to justice? His promises to end GBV are lip-service. I will be writing to the Premier, Oscar Mabuyane, to immediately launch an investigation into this matter.”

Nqaba Bhanga

ActionSA’s Zandile Mabuya also weighed in on Vena’s horrifying experience saying saving a life should always come before getting a written statement. 

“Vena was a victim of the pervasive lawlessness in our country and she died at the hands of what appears to be uncaring civil servants,” he said.

The National Policy Guidelines for Victims of Sexual Offences provides quite a detailed explanation for the Department of Health.

While health practitioners are legally bound to report these cases of abuse on children, there’s no mention of turning victims away to report the incident themselves at a police station.

A health practitioner is legally bound to report any case of physical, psychological or sexual abuse on children which comes to their attention (section 42 – Child Care Act),” the Policy states.

ALSO READ: Zenizole Vena: Are SA clinics allowed to TURN AWAY rape victims?