Three arrested for rape in Duduza
Three men appeared before the Nigel Magistrate's Court facing charges of rape.
Duduza- Angry residents of Duduza picketed outside the Nigel Magistrate’s Court demanding the three men accused of the rape of an intellectually impaired woman be denied bail.
The three suspects appeared before the court to apply for bail.
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The 26-year-old was allegedly assaulted and gang raped by the three men on December 22 while on her way from her boyfriend’s home in the area.
They were arrested on December 29 and have since been in police custody.
The suspects told the court through an affidavit read by their legal representative that they intended to plead not guilty to the charges.
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Two of the three suspects have previous convictions. One has two convictions for robbery and malicious property damage in 2008.
Another accused, claiming to accommodate the victim for the two days, has previous convictions from 2004 ranging from assault, robbery, theft and rape.
The victim’s mother said she wants the suspects to be locked away.
“My daughter is traumatised and them being given bail will only traumatise her further as the suspects live in the same area as us. There are chances that they might meet us in the streets.
“They are animals that deserve to be locked away,” she added.
Human rights activist for people living with disabilities Nomasomi Limako said they are demanding justice for the victim.
“Women living with disabilities, especially those who are intellectually impaired, are abused and raped because they often cannot articulate their traumatic experience to the court.
“This makes it easy for the court to throw out the case due to a lack of evidence.
“The disabled community has the same human rights as any other citizens of this country and should be treated as such.
“Women are raped daily but our courts are failing them. We will continue fighting until we are heard,” she added.
The court case was postponed to January 25 for closing arguments from their attorney.
