'CRECHE OF HORRORS': 'God-fearing oom' on child-rape charges

AN unusual town meeting at the local Dutch Reformed Church hall on a Sunday afternoon in late November brought together about 40 parents of a creche in Balfour, Mpumalanga.

Two days earlier, the small, pothole-ridden town less than two hours from Johannesburg was rocked to its core when a respected 71-year-old church elder and husband of a local creche owner appeared in court on five charges of child rape.

At the meeting, sociologists and social workers explained the symptoms a typical child-abuse victim would display.

As they read through a list of typical signs - headaches, nightmares, aggression, separation anxiety and bedwetting - the parents, one by one, broke down in tears.

They had recognised the behaviour in their own toddlers.

The town, known for coal mining and maize farms, is trying to come to grips with the question lingering in everyone's mind: how many other children were victims?"

The accused, who cannot be named as he has not yet pleaded to the charges against him, has been described as a "model citizen, a God-fearing man who never missed a single month's tithes" and a "real grandfather figure to the kids at the creche".

He has spent his entire working life dealing with children, and retired as a school principal in the late 1980s. He was described by his successor as "the best principal I've ever worked under ... he just had a way with the children and parents".

After his retirement, the man's wife opened a creche on a large property in Balfour on which the couple also live.

Now police are piecing together a string of cases against the man, with some of his alleged victims, both boys and girls, as young as three years old.

The revelations of a possible sexual predator in their midst have shocked and divided the town, with a local businessman saying: "He is one of the oldest and most recognisable faces in this town. I dare you to find anyone who has a bad word to say about him."

Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Leonard Hlathi said the man was facing five counts of rape, adding : "There are more cases to come."

The Sunday Times learnt from a number of people interviewed in Balfour this week that social workers, sociologists and police had interviewed at least 25 children, some of whom attended the school as long as 10 years ago.

So far, 15 of the children have been identified as being possible "positive victims".

A source close to the investigation said: "Those are the ones police know of. People who had kids there 16 years ago say they noticed strange behaviour years ago already."

Parents revealed that, during therapy, the children spoke of being allegedly taught by the suspect "how to keep a secret", while one little girl asked her father after the arrest: "Does this mean he cannot hurt me any more?"

The man was denied bail by the Balfour Magistrate's Court and spent two weeks in hospital because of high blood pressure after his first court appearance. He will return to court early in January.

A parent of one of the victims said: "I was in court when he appeared. It's still so unreal to think this harmless-looking old man could do something like that to our children."

Another parent, the first to become suspicious, took her daughter for therapy earlier this year, as the child became difficult and aggressive.

When the child developed an infection, she took her to a paediatrician, who confirmed she had been sexually abused.

A friend of this parent said: "She spoke to other parents, who said they'd noticed the same strange behaviour. They also took their children for therapy and they showed the same issues [involving] this oom [uncle]."

During a "play therapy" session, during which the children are given dolls to demonstrate what happened to them, a young girl "physically attacked the doll representing the old man".

The Sunday Times has learnt that two sociologists have interviewed scores of children over the past three weeks. Both declined to comment.

On Monday, police carried out a search warrant at the creche in the presence of the suspect's wife. She refused to speak when approached for comment.

For the rest of the week, the gate to the creche remained locked and the jungle gym on the playground was deserted.