HER boyfriend abandoned her to her fate when he realised his life was at stake.
Left to fend for herself as best she could against two men wielding pangas, the 17-year-old girl from Mbokota village near Elim had no alternative but to comply with their demands.
The girl and her boyfriend had been walking home from a bar lounge when the incident occurred.
According to Waterval police spokesperson, WO Kedibone Mabatha, two young men approached the couple and started brandishing pangas at them. “The girl’s boyfriend ran away and the two men seized the girl and took her to one of their homes in the village. She was raped throughout the night. The two men released her early the next morning, and she immediately reported the matter to the Waterval police station,” Mabatha said.
He said the police raided the house where the girl alleged she had been raped, but did not find the suspects there. “The suspects are known and will be arrested in connection with kidnapping and rape,” he said.
He further appealed to women not to walk around at night, in the interest of their own safety.
Fiona Nicholson, CEO of the Thohoyandou victim empowerment programme, said since their one-stop trauma centre had opened its doors in 2001, over 120 rape and domestic violence survivors had been assisted every month. She said 58% of those assisted were children and 38% were under the age of 13 years. She appealed to men to respect women and children, saying rapists should receive lengthy jail sentences for their crimes.
