Glenwood rape shocks community

COMMUNITY watches in Glenwood are horrified that news of an alleged brutal rape in a local park was kept quiet for more than a month.

According to Sgt Beverly Manqele from Umbilo SAPS, a 37-year-old victim was allegedly assaulted and raped in a small park area in ZK Mathews (Nicolson) Road on 10 April.

She was allegedly attacked by two men after trying to catch her cat which had escaped from her garden. She was allegedly beaten, aggressively raped and burnt with cigarettes all over her body.

“The woman was with friends at her flat when her cat ran out into the park. She went after it, and felt something metallic hit her on the head. She passed out and when she woke up, a man had been raping her and another was burning her with cigarettes. The one man pointed a gun at her and told her to be quiet. She passed out again and when she came to, she was naked. She went to her flat and called the police and medical assistance. No arrests have been made and DNA evidence has been taken,” said Manqele.

She was hospitalised for two weeks because of the seriousness of her injuries.

A resident who lives in a property adjacent to the park said she recalled hearing a scream but thought it was children living nearby playing on their trampoline.

“I looked into the park but didn’t see anything. We heard nothing about this incident until now, it is terrible, the poor woman. I am so angry as I have contacted the Parks Department on numerous occasions to clean up and cut back bushes, as there are men hiding in the bush at the park. Now see what has happened. I feel terrible. I chase the men living in the park away when the Glenwood Community Watch members come by, and contact the police, but nothing is done. It’s scary for me as I come home late from dancing,” she said.

Counsellor and chairperson of the Bulwer Community Safety Forum, Heather Rorick, said she had heard nothing about the incident and was very shocked when news of the attack was made public. “No one has been referred to me for counselling, this sounded like a terrible ordeal,” she said.

Guy Perrins, chairman of Glenwood Community Watch, said news of the alleged rape had shocked and surprised him.

Perrings said there had been a spike of crime in the area, such as hijackings, muggings, robberies, house break-ins, car thefts and fence hopping and there were a lot of ‘undesirables’ walking around in the area.

“We have a lot of undesirable elements in the area, the whoonga addicts, prostitutes, vagrants, and there has been a lot of copper theft and fence hopping recently. The authorities need to take a holistic approach in dealing with this, not just moving people on to another area. Prostitution, crime and drugs need to be addressed. We have patrols out every night and the police and Metro have been a lot more active. There are a lot of people in local parks during the day, which is concerning. The authorities need to get a handle on this,” he said.