While the South African Police Service (SAPS) has remained silent regarding its case against Pierre de Vos, AfriForum, the country’s Afrikaner interest group, is intensifying its pursuit of the political commentator and University of Cape Town professor following his controversial child pornography scandal of 2022.
At the centre of this social media scandal is De Vos’s X account blunder, which featured a video described in the post as a “Chinese virgin young boy” being sexually abused by an adult male.
This incident was widely regarded as one of the most significant child porn scandals of 2022. Following the outrage, De Vos claimed on September 18, 2022 that his account had been hacked.
After two years of legal challenges, AfriForum is urging the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to reconsider its prior decision not to prosecute De Vos, citing a lack of thorough investigation and political bias.
Advocate Gerrie Nel, head of AfriForum’s private prosecution unit, asserted that the allegations should be taken seriously.
He described the NPA’s refusal to move forward with charges in November 2022 as “premature and irrational”.
AfriForum stated in their letter to the Western Cape Division of Public Prosecutions: “We will illustrate that this decision not to prosecute was premature, irrational, and based on an embarrassing and deliberate incomplete investigation.”
Nel has been vocal about the apparent disconnect between the government and the prosecutorial body regarding the seriousness of child pornography offences, suggesting that the NPA has given undue consideration to De Vos’s status as a public figure.
The saga began when complainant René van der Vyver, spokesperson for AfriForum Youth, filed a report at the Humewood Police Station in Gqeberha on September 21, 2022. Concerns over the investigation’s efficacy began to mount due to bureaucratic delays and a lack of clarity from police investigators.
On Tuesday, AfriForum’s complaints deepened after they obtained case documents under the Promotion of Access to Information Act, revealing a glaring lack of investigative depth.
The file reportedly contained only two statements: one from the complainant and another unsigned electronic statement from De Vos, raising questions about the integrity of the investigation.
Despite efforts to obtain comments from the SAPS regarding the handling of the case, there was no response at the time of publication.
The NPA indicated they were preparing a report on the matter. The NPA regional spokesperson, Luxolo Tyali, said: “We are preparing a report on this matter and will revert soon.“
Attempts to get a comment from De Vos were unsuccessful at the time of going to print.
The Star
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