DNA Clears Six in South African Baby Rape Case

On Thursday, South Africa withdrew charges against six men accused of raping a nine-month-old baby girl because DNA tests failed to link them to the crime, prosecutors said. "We have decided not to prosecute the accused because there is no evidence against them," said Lungi Mahlat, director of public prosecutions in Northern Cape province. "The DNA tests which were conducted exclude the participation of all the accused."

The case -- in which the baby was brutally raped after her 16-year-old mother left her in the care of a friend in October -- shocked the nation and touched off angry protests countrywide. The baby, named Tshepang ("Have Hope") to hide her identity, has undergone a series of operations since the attack at her home in an impoverished settlement in Upington. Some 21,000 cases of child rape were reported to police last year, and most were committed by victims' relatives. The attacks are fueled by a myth that sex with a virgin can prevent -- even cure -- AIDS.

The opposition Democratic Alliance and anti-rape groups expressed shock at the decision but appealed to the community to respect the rule of law and accept the men back. "If these six men didn't rape her, who did?" the alliance asked in a statement. "The question should also be asked whether the forensic investigation was correctly completed." Cape Town-based Rape Crisis said it was disappointing that forensic evidence "strictly" determined the outcome. "It seems to me there were witnesses who were around. And the question is, why are they not called? It doesn't bode very well for the justice system in South Africa," said Rape Crisis Director Leslie Liddell.

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