The African National Congress Women’s League (ANCWL) in Vosloorus is fuming with anger after the release of an alleged rapist on a R1000 bail.
The local 26-year-old local taxi driver was arrested for the alleged rape of a female passenger and was granted bail in the Vosloorus Magistrates Court despite being charged with a Schedule 6 Offence – meaning the accused was not eligible to be released on bail. Furious and angry ANCWL members, who have been following the rape case since April, gathered outside the local court and demanded the investigating officer explain how the suspect was granted bail despite being labeled as a flight risk.
Councilor for Ward 44 in Vosloorus, Helen Marakalle, told the MAIL she was disappointed when the suspect was suddenly granted bail by the court. She said even if it is the right of a person to be granted bail, at least the complainant in the case should have been informed. Marakalle has vowed to garner ongoing support for the rape survivor in order to put pressure on the courts to act lawfully.
“It is quite obvious that corruption is behind some shady dealing in this case and that the rights of women have been trampled upon. We are not going to fold our arms while our rights as women are being violated,” said Marakalle.
The rape survivor, a 30-year-old married mother of two who lives in Spruitview, who cannot be identified, says she has been left emotionally traumatised by the incident which happened as she was on her way to work at the Vosloorus Crossing Mall. She said she had boarded the local taxi at the BP Garage in Spruitview that morning at around 5:30. Once inside the taxi, she handed the driver a R10 note, expecting to be given R3 change.
She said she did not read too much into it when the driver asked how she felt about “a change” as she thought he was referring to the R3 change she was expecting from him. She said she unwittingly responded that she had “no problem” and that’s when the taxi driver veered off the road, turned left behind the Chris Hani Mall and sped the towards the nearby bushes. Realizing what was about to happen to her, the 30-year-old mother said that she tried to jump out of the speeding taxi, but a fierce fight ensued.
She said her attacker managed to throttle and overpower her, leaving her breathless before he ripped off her jeans and underwear and then raped her. Showing the bruises on her neck and a bandaged right ear, she said the bruises were a horrifying reminder of her fight against her rapist. “It is still hard for me to imagine the pain and humiliation I had to endure at this man’s hands”, recalled the still traumatized woman.
The rape survivor’s mother who cannot be identified to protect the identity of her 30-year-old daughter, lashed out at the police for releasing the suspect on bail without consulting the survivor. “It hurts, they are treating my daughter as if she asked to be raped.” The case is scheduled to be heard in the Vosloorus Magistrates Court on October 15 and the ANCWL has vowed to be present in court to give the victim their support.
