Johannesburg - Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi broke down in public at the ANC policy conference in Soweto as he spoke about the horrific rape of eight young women in Krugersdorp.
Motsoaledi said the incident reminded him of a time when he was a doctor in the rural areas in Limpopo. He said an eight-year-old was brought to him after being raped by an uncle.
The sobbing minister said what broke his heart was having to perform a surgical procedure on the child.
Motsoaldi said the face of the child still haunts him today.
He said the child looked into his eyes, confused and looking for answers from him.
He said what hurt him the most was that he could not provide answers to the child.
“This eight-year-old girl was destroyed. It took me three hours in theatre trying to put her together. Her private parts were completely mauled. I had to remember my anatomy and reconstruct, when I was done in theatre I was emotionally finished,” Motsoaledi said.
Motsoaledi said he was heartbroken by the the Krugersdorp gang rape. He said when he heard of the incident he thought about his own children.
“This is heart-breaking, every time you hear this, it tears you apart. You ask yourself how would I react if something like this happens to your daughter. This is something that should not be allowed,” Motsolaedi said.
Talking to the media outside commissions at the policy conference, Motsoaledi said his department would do its best to ensure justice prevails.
This comes after the discovery that the majority of the men who attacked the group of girls were foreign nationals.
The girls had been shooting a music video near a mine dump infiltrated by illegal miners and underground gang activities. Reports suggested that eight girls were raped, and a group of men with the girls had been stripped naked and tortured.
“Every country has laws, sovereignty and those laws are based on the security of its citizens. When the laws are made we look at how safe are our people. We have a responsibility to secure our citizens,” he said.
The rape of the group of girls by foreign national shocked many around the country and placed a spotlight once more on South Africa’s porous borders and crime by undocumented foreign nationals.
Motsoaledi appealed to the media to report fairly on matters concerning foreign nationals.
Police had arrested 65 men in a sting operation near the old mine where the girls were raped.
The Star understands that one of the girls had been raped by 10 men.
Reports on Saturday morning suggested that 16 more suspects were arrested in connection with the rapes.