A social media fundraising campaign that raised over R345,000 for a Matatiele mother who claimed her daughter was raped is now facing scrutiny. The woman, an administrative officer with the South African Police Service (SAPS), received hundreds of thousands of rands from the public after posts on Facebook, shared by a prominent influencer, claimed her “fight for justice” had left her financially ruined. However, new information suggests the money was used to pay off her outstanding personal debts, a claim she has remained silent on.
The allegations against the mother surfaced after a detailed look at her finances revealed a surprising turn of events. Documentation seen by this publication shows that since May of this year, the mother has managed to settle significant outstanding debts. This includes payments on two motor vehicles, a loan with SA Home Loans, and a Totalsports account. The cars in question had monthly payments of R6,554 and R5,843, respectively. Both accounts were in arrears in April but were brought up to date by the end of May. A source with knowledge of her financial situation confirmed that her monthly debt has since been reduced from R25,500 to R20,000.
When the publication reached out to the mother for comment via WhatsApp, asking if she used the donated money to pay off her debts and if she stood by her child's rape claim, she did not respond. A subsequent phone call was also abruptly ended after only a few seconds.
The fundraising campaign was spearheaded by Raymond Mayekisa, a Matatiele native with 21,000 social media followers. Mayekisa, who works as an auditor for the Auditor-General, describes himself as a “philanthropist, business developer, radio personality, social butterfly and fashionista” on his Facebook page. He urged the public to donate to the woman's Capitec bank account, claiming she had “already lost almost everything she owns in her fight to save her child’s life and ensure justice.”
Mayekisa’s first post with the bank details was shared nearly 4,000 times, and the campaign quickly gained momentum. "No one should ever have to fight for their life and their dignity while also worrying that their money will dry up. Imagine how heartbreaking it must be to lose everything, including your car, while trying to keep hope alive. The financial burden is overwhelming, yet we can make a difference,” he wrote. “Let’s support [the child’s] mother in this fight. If you can help, [here are] the account details so we can make sure every effort counts in the search for justice.”
Three days later, controversial hip-hop artist Jub Jub, who has 1.8 million followers on Facebook, praised Mayekisa for “taking it upon himself to help [the mother]”. Jub Jub stated that Mayekisa had “raised R200,000 after she sold her two vehicles and was about to sell her house to cover her medical and legal expenses.” Following this, Mayekisa shared the account details three more times in the next week. By April 4, he announced that more than R345,000 had been deposited into the mother’s account and that further contributions were “always welcome and deeply appreciated”.
Mayekisa told City Press’ sister publication Rapport that he started the campaign after hearing the woman's story on a podcast. "I didn’t know her before this, but I heard her speak on a podcast, and part of her story was how she had to take her child to different doctors. Then I thought, I have a platform and I can use my influence to raise money so this woman doesn’t reach a point where she has to take her child somewhere but doesn’t have petrol money or a car for it. I wanted to help her help her child, even if it was just so she could go buy the child an ice cream. It was about restoring her dignity and ensuring justice for the child,” he said.
He approached the woman, who then provided him with her account number. Mayekisa insists he never specified the money was for legal costs. “I told her it could help her if she [had to pay] legal fees or needed special care for her child, but I never said in my posts that the money was needed for legal costs. She never asked for money, and I didn’t insist that she later explain how she used the money. It was her business whether she wanted to be transparent or not.”
When asked about the allegations that the money was used for debt repayment, Mayekisa maintained his stance. He does not believe the woman would try to make money from the rape allegations. “I’m not going to go to her and insist that she tell me how she uses the money. If I donate clothes to someone, I’m not going to walk into that person’s house later and ask why they’re not wearing them. This is the same principle.”
While he now acknowledges, as an auditor, that it would have been easier to be accountable to donors if he had used an account he could monitor, he stands by his decision. “But ultimately, I don’t want to be accountable for something I shouldn’t be accountable for, and I just wanted to make sure she had access to the money the moment she needed it. I understand people want to know where their donations went, but I’m completely satisfied with how I did it.”
The fundraising campaign was launched amidst a nationwide uproar that began in March of this year. The 31-year-old mother’s claim that her seven-year-old daughter was raped by the principal of Bergview College in October of the previous year became the subject of national attention. The mother's identity has been withheld to protect the child. The woman, who first made the claims on TikTok, accused the school of attempting to cover up the alleged crime. The finger of accusation was soon pointed at Bergview College’s principal, Jaco Pieterse.
However, the police and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) found no evidence to support the claims. This publication had previously reported that the child, in her first interview with a social worker, denied being sexually assaulted in any way. The police's official medical document, a J88, also showed that the doctor who examined the child found no irrefutable physical evidence of rape. Based on this, the NPA had already decided in November of the previous year that they would not prosecute anyone.
Despite this, the allegations continued to gain traction. The woman's accusations against Pieterse were publicly echoed by several prominent politicians, including Julius Malema, the EFF leader; Fikile Mbalula, the ANC’s secretary-general; and Fundile Gade, the Eastern Cape MEC for education. This created a smear campaign against Pieterse, who was widely branded as a paedophile. Pieterse, with the help of AfriForum’s private prosecution unit, has since laid criminal defamation charges against Malema, Mbalula, and Gade.
Pieterse and his family were forced to flee their home. In an interview with Hanlie Retief in June, he described the ordeal, saying he and his family had to pack their bags while people stood outside their house shouting. "We are branded, and everyone close to us. Our poor gardener was also frightened when he wanted to come cut our grass once," he said.
In August, Pieterse and Bergview College officially parted ways. Despite the legal and medical findings, Mayekisa maintains his belief in the mother’s story. He says he doesn't doubt for a moment that the child was truly raped, even as authorities have found no evidence to support the claim.
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