The Atlantis community in South Africa is reeling after an 11-year-old girl gave birth, allegedly as a result of s3xual abuse by her mother’s boyfriend.
The child, who gave birth last week, has since been removed from her home and placed in a place of safety.
The 32-year-old suspect made a brief appearance in the Atlantis Magistrate’s Court on Monday, May 18, 2026. He was charged with r@pe.
The man was arrested after police obtained a warrant for his arrest.
The child’s mother has since been arrested and appeared in the Atlantis Magistrate’s Court.
She has formally been charged with failure to report a commission of a s3xual offence.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirmed her court appearance.
The child or her mother cannot be identified because the girl is still a minor, and to avoid secondary trauma.
The mother has been remanded in custody and is expected to apply for bail on Tuesday, May 19.
Member of Parliament, Nicholas Gotsell, from the DA and NCOP Member on Security and Justice, said he will be opposing the release of the alleged rapist.
“Child r@pists must be removed from society. The DA is appalled by the rape of an 11-year-old girl who has recently given birth. Whilst we will allow the law to take its course, the DA will exert even more pressure on the Acting Minister of Police to provide answers to its letter dated May 17, expressing its concern about the Western Cape Provincial Police Commissioner’s disregard for the fight against gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF),” Gotsell said.
He further told IOL News that he found it extremely alarming that, once visiting Atlantis, there were no r@pe kits for children.
“During several oversight visits on Thursday and Friday and again today [Monday] to the Atlantis police station, the DA found barely any D1 (adult) rape kits and no D7 r@pe kits for children. This has raised the question of resourcing of SAPS FCS units, who work with the most vulnerable persons in these societies, over the past weeks,” he said.
“Accordingly, the DA has requested the details of every r@pe and s3xual assault case reported at these stations and will keep an eye on the investigation of every single one of them and where it appears that SAPS members were not able to collect evidence from victims to build a proper case, which would ensure convictions and clean up this scourge of GBV plaguing our society,” Gotsell added.
He said police play a crucial role in the collection of evidence and the conviction of r@pists.
“The inaction by SAPS senior management in the Western Cape indicates that the President’s promise of GBV being declared a national state of disaster was a lie,” Gotsell said.
The case against the alleged rapist has been postponed until May 26 for a formal bail application.