Last night, August 1, at around 11.57pm, I was awakened by the screams of a woman.
I got up and opened the balcony door and stood, listening for more sounds of distress.
My eyes eventually focused on something across the street, less than 100m away.
From my position I couldn’t quite make out what was going on, it sounded like a woman, struggling, a large woman, maybe drunk, struggling to stand up.
I also couldn’t understand what she was saying because she was speaking an African language I couldn’t understand.
Just then a car came into the road and some light crossed over the object across the street.
I saw two figures lying on the ground.
Then I heard her again, only this time she was begging her attacker to use a condom.
I realised straight away what was going on.
I ran to get my phone and called 10111.
I then ran to wake my son.
We stood on the balcony and started screaming at the man.
He stopped for just a second.
The woman screamed: “He is raping me, I don’t know this man!”
We screamed some more, and the man screamed that he would kill us and just casually carried on raping the woman.
How awful it was to feel so hopeless while watching a man raping and beating on a woman.
He didn’t care that people knew what he was doing; he knew we were more afraid of him than he was of being caught.
My letter really is to COMMEND the South African Police Service, who responded to my call in less than five minutes.
I realise five minutes must have felt like a life-time for the woman being raped, it sure was long enough for me.
But the swift response of the police made it possible for them to apprehend the rapist.
I also know that this man will be back on the streets to rape again in a few days.
But, for now, the police did brilliant work and need to be thanked for doing the best that they can, when they can.
