The father of a teenage girl who was allegedly raped in the female toilet of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital (MGMH) has broken his silence, urging the authorities to speedily bring the alleged perpetrator to book.
The 18-year-old mental health patient was allegedly raped by another mental health patient on Sunday, 26 September, around 10am. Captain Louise Naidoo, spokesperson for Phoenix SAPS, confirmed a case of rape has been opened. The father of the child, Michael Pillay*, 50, claims that his daughter called him on Sunday, crying. “She told me that she was raped by a male patient who followed her into the female toilet of the casualty section. My daughter said that there was no lock on the toilet door,” alleged Pillay.
According to Pillay, he and his wife immediately went to MGMH to see their daughter a few hours after the alleged incident had occurred. “The alleged perpetrator was pointed out to us and when we questioned him, he denied that he raped my daughter. The nurse said that we were not allowed to harass him. They asked us to leave. We were not harassing him. We were just trying to find out what happened because my daughter was traumatised. She was suicidal,” claimed the father. Pillay claimed that his daughter has been in the casualty section since she arrived at MGMH on Thursday, 23 September. “The hospital said they were waiting to do the Covid-19 test and thereafter they said they were waiting for an available bed. She sat on a plastic chair throughout the night. On Friday, they placed her on a bed, in casualty,” alleged Pillay. The father said he last saw his daughter on Sunday after the alleged rape had occurred. “Without notifying us, my daughter was transferred to another healthcare facility. When I phoned that facility, I was told that we cannot visit or speak to our child. They said we can buy things and send for her, but how will we know whether she will get the items or not?” asked Pillay.
Pillay said the family was concerned about their daughter’s state. “We want to speak to our daughter. We are worried because she is suicidal,” said Pillay. Pillay said that he opened a case on Thursday, 30 September, when he went to MGMH. “SAPS told me that it will take between six to nine months before the results will be available. We want the hospital to expedite the results of the tests. We want justice,” claimed Pillay. The KZN Health Department issued a statement on 30 September confirming that an investigation is underway after the alleged rape of an 18-year-old mental healthcare user, allegedly by another mental healthcare user. Dr Sandile Tshabalala, head of KZN Health, said: “We are extremely concerned by the allegations. We can confirm that this matter was reported to the SAPS on the same day that it allegedly occurred. An internal investigation has also been instituted into the alleged incident. The OB Number, which is the equivalent of an SAPS case number, has been handed to the family. It is untrue that both patients were kept in the same ward after the incident.”
Dr Tshabalala said the female patient was transferred on 30 September to another healthcare facility for ongoing medical care and the alleged perpetrator continues to receive medical care, under guard. A community activist, Jonathan Annipen, said he was contacted by the alleged victim’s family after the incident occurred. “The hospital reported the matter to SAPS but they did not open a case immediately. The hospital PRO told me that a case was on file, but only an Occurrence Book (OB) number was on file,” alleged Annipen. Annipen further alleged that on the day of the alleged incident, 24 psychiatric patients were in casualty with general patients. “Why were there no security guards on the day the incident allegedly occurred? Why were psychiatric patients and general patients in casualty together? Why were males and females in casualty together? Why was the alleged perpetrator and alleged victim kept in the same hospital after the incident had allegedly occurred?” alleged Annipen. Sarojini Govender, the chairperson of Mahatma Gandhi Hospital Board, urged the community to remain calm while the full investigation continues.
*The name of the father has been changed to protect the identity of the alleged victim.
