NPA urged to give all alleged child abuse cases proper attention
29 October 2024
AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit has questioned the state’s apparent failure to properly investigate the very serious allegation that University of Cape Town (UCT) Professor Pierre de Vos distributed child pornography on social media. The unit believes this may be a case of selective prosecution and urges the South African Police Service (SAPS)and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to act without fear, favour or prejudice.
“The NPA were so blinded by the status of the suspect that it may have overlooked the purpose behind offences of this serious nature,” says Adv. Gerrie Nel, head of the unit, in a letter to the NPA. “The focus remains the protection of children but includes the protection of society against the distribution of sexually explicit deeds against children.
“Our client remains steadfast that her complaint is sound in law and if proficiently dealt with will objectively sustain the alleged charges she has raised in her affidavit including that De Vos may have possessed and distributed child pornography.”
On 10 September 2022, a post on De Vos’ X account included a video of what was described in the post as a “Chinese virgin young boy” being sexually abused by an adult male. Soon thereafter, the post was removed from the timeline. On 18 September De Vos posted that his X account was hacked and tweeted porn, adding that it was obvious that nothing will come of any criminal complaint filed against him.