Marianne Merten
A planned BBC documentary on baby rape in South Africa has been condemned by African National Congress MPs for potentially devaluing the rand and portraying the country as “the leader in all respects of bad things”.
The documentary is set to come under close scrutiny, after parliamentarians expressed angry objections to the “parading of South African babies” during the public hearing on child sexual abuse in Parliament this week.
Immediately after the day’s hearing the multi-party task team on child abuse met for private discussions which were unintentionally relayed over the parliamentary internal broadcast system over how such a documentary would “have some sort of effect on the value of the rand”, portray South Africa in a bad light and that the filmmakers “saw the pound and grabbed it without thinking”.
Parliament’s joint monitoring committee on children and the disabled intends meeting the BBC, the film producers and the parents of the seven raped babies identified during research for the documentary, to investigate whether consent was given for filming.
The committee’s chairperson, Hendrietta Bogopane, maintained the proposed meeting was not about stopping the documentary.
“We want to understand, as a committee, understand, the process to get consent,” she said. “[We want to] begin to understand from the BBC when they have such high levels of child sex offenders, why they want to parade our children. What makes them so interested in South African babies?”
Tempers flared earlier in the day when filmmaker Clifford Bestall, who won an award for a documentary last year on gangs in Pollsmoor Prison, told MPs: “Our research is shocking and the film is bound to cause appropriate outrage.” The film would focus on seven baby rapes that took place after that of baby Tshepang near Upington last year.
ANC MPs responded fiercely to Bestall’s conclusion that “the government is failing our children” and to Bestall’s call in the hearing to President Thabo Mbeki to set the record straight on the viral cause of HIV/Aids.
“We are sitting here because our government cares,” said one angry MP. “Why should the British be watching South African babies being raped?” asked another, as ANC colleagues defended the president. “We need to correct this man You can’t listen to him fighting our president,” said Nonceba Cindi. “Did you consult the president when you decided to make this film?” interjected an MP.
Bestall said later the documentary was not intended for broadcast in South Africa. But an angry MP reported: “We all have DSTV. You switch on, you are connected.”
This was the second time MPs had lashed out at a witness at the hearing. Andre Kalis, national director of the South African Child and Family Welfare Society, also incurred their wrath after he said it was time child abuse prevention strategies, including the presidency’s strategy, were acted on.
Stormed ANC MP and chairperson of Parliament’s safety and security committee, Mluleki George: “He makes statements like a politician in a rally which could not be substantiated. He says it [child abuse] can be prevented but he does not say how it can be prevented.”
No one challenged the Department of Social Development’s statement that South Africa had only 7 000 practising registered social workers, including those in management and training.
For four days parliamentarians heard rape survivors, NGOs, academics, community workers and legal experts paint a grim picture of child abuse, rape and the trafficking of children for prostitution.
Witnesses pointed to loopholes in the law, court and police insensitivity to sexually abused children, research indicating that doctors and teachers often fail children who report abuse to them and uncoordinated prevention strategies that failed to come to grips with prejudice and myths that “girls who are raped asked for it”.
Outside the old assembly chamber, banners proclaimed children’s rights and an impromptu art gallery featured children’s paintings, some depicting sexual abuse in graphic detail.
The issue may again be raised on Tuesday when Parliament debates the task team’s report. Deputy Speaker Baleka Mbete was informed on Wednesday of the strong reaction to Bestall’s submission.