A group called Save Our Girls last week launched a case in the Johannesburg High Court in response to tweets by Zimbabwean journalist Rutendo Matinyarare encouraging sex with under-age girls.
Save Our Girls said it is seeking to end what it says are weak legal protections for young girls that effectively legalise paedophilia.
The group says the Sexual Offences and Related Matters Amendment Act defines a child as under the age of 18, but that age threshold drops to 12-16 when it comes to sexual offences.
This "legalises paedophilia, is not in the best interests of the child, and is thereby unconstitutional and unlawful," says the Notice of Motion. Save Our Girls wants the law amended to protect children from this.
Cited as respondents in the case are Zimbabwean journalist Rutendo Matinyarare, Zimbabwean billionaire Kuda Tagwirei and the SA ministers of home affairs, basic education and women and youth.
Sandra Chinyanya, deposing for Save Our Girls, said paedophilia has an unfortunate history in African culture, with some African men believing that sex with young girls cures diseases, promotes longevity and makes their businesses profitable.
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