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The child protection organisation Women and Men Against Child Abuse (WMACA) says it is frustrated by the time taken to conclude cases that involve child victims.
In a statement Friday, WMACA called on the courts to be upgraded to make them more "victim-centric, and survivor-friendly."
This comes after yet another case of a minor who was allegedly raped by a South African Police Service official seven years ago, was postponed.
According to WMACA, the reason for the postponement of the case which was meant to take place in the Protea Magistrates Court on Friday, was due to faulty court equipment.
"The girl's mother had to organise with the education district officials for her to miss today's maths exam to go and testify in court," the statement reads.
WMACA says they are monitoring five cases involving children that have been dragging on for years, because either an intermediary is unavailable, the court equipment isn't working, the correct documents are outstanding, or load shedding was happening, or some other reason.
"Every time they (the victims) have to go back to court, ready to give evidence, they have to work themselves up to endure the ordeal. They're missing school, getting re-traumatized."
"Cases are postponed for weeks or months at a time, just for the whole process to be repeated. Again and again.
We don't think the general public - or the court officials - understand the immense stress and disruption caused to these families and the children's psyche. It upsets their development, their functioning, and their academic performance.
"These children are serving a life sentence while the perpetrators and their defense attorneys are playing the system. And the system is NOT working to protect the child victims," said WMACA's Luke Lamprecht.
Previously WMACA expressed its frustration at the postponement of the case of a 47-year-old man who was sexually assaulted by a former teacher at Rondebosch Boys Prep School.
The perpetrator has since appeared in the Wynberg Regional Court in the Western Cape and pleaded not guilty to the sexual assault charge.
The 84-year-old Iain Wares, faces more than 80 charges related to sexual abuse of boys in the UK and South Africa that happened during his 40-year teaching career.
"He is also still battling an extradition order which will see him facing numerous charges in the UK," said WMACA founder Miranda Johnson.
