Woman locked up for six months by partner
The man has been charged with assault, rape and kidnapping.
Community members rescued Themba* after she was allegedly locked up at a house in Thembisa for six months.
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People Opposing Women Abuse (Powa) has placed her in a shelter and reunited her with her mother on March 25.
Themba’s rescue took place on March 18, and she said her partner was responsible for locking her up.
In an interview, the 35-year-old victim said she and the 45-year-old male suspect moved from Nelspruit to Thembisa on October 4 and that she had been locked up for six months with no communication with the outside world.
According to Themba, the man promised her a means to earn money for her children, prompting her to leave her three children in Nelspruit with her grandmother and mother.
They had been dating for a few months before moving.
“I trusted him. He was older than me and I thought he knew better.”
According to Themba, everything changed when they moved.
She claimed he started assaulting her and threatened to injure her using acid if she left the house to seek help.
“In January, a woman came by with the local councillor after noticing I had not left the room since my arrival. I saw this as an opportunity to inform them of what was going on, but I was too terrified to do so. I hesitated because I was afraid of what he would do if he found out,” Themba said.
She added he would not only threaten her but also her children and family.
“He poured water on me and threatened to electrocute me if I told anyone what was going on,” she said.
He also beat her with a metal rod, severely injuring her leg and immobilising her.
She had asked him to take her to the clinic for treatment, but the man refused.
Themba’s leg worsened and eventually she requested help from a neighbour.
Thembisa South police has since apprehended the suspect, who was charged with assault, rape and kidnapping.
According to Thembisa South SAPS station commander Nthipe Lazarus Boloka, the suspect was supposed to be in the Thembisa Magistrate’s Court on March 22 but failed to do so due to hospitalisation.
*Not victim’s real name.
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