Rape victims don’t always report that they’ve been raped immediately.
Some women may choose not to report that they’ve been raped directly after the incident due to feelings of shame, anxiety pertaining to whether the police/family would believe the recounting of the violation, low self-esteem or the threat of violence – just to name a few.
Miss Ruandi van Deventer* didn’t report her rape immediately because she lived with her rapist for most of December and January, and she was concerned that if she spoke up about the sexual assault which she had endured, that she would lose the opportunity to live there.
In December of 2018, Miss van Deventer went to visit the Prinsloo-family* for the holidays.
She and the Prinsloo-family were not related by blood – in stead the Prinsloo-family had unofficially “adopted” the adult Miss van Deventer through their shared church.
“Everything was fantastic and I was having a great time until the night of December 28,” Miss van Deventer shared,
“my adopted mother, Mrs Danielle Prinsloo*, left to go to church at about 18:00. I decided to stay home with my adopted brother and sister. She was barely out of the door when Mr Johan Prinsloo* came home from work. He told my adopted brother and sister to go to bed, which I knew was strange because it was still early, but they’re very well-behaved children so they listened to their father. Mr Prinsloo then started asking me about my job and whether I enjoyed it. Whilst enquiring about my work, he started stroking my hair and touching my cheek. The next moment he was on top of me, pushing me to one corner of the couch and restraining me…”
Miss van Deventer paused, and with a shaky voice said, “…and then he raped me.
I didn’t scream because I didn’t want my adopted brother or sister to come running out of the room where they were sleeping… I didn’t want them to see their father like that.
I didn’t want them to see me like that. I never told Mrs Prinsloo.
I kept it a secret until I could move out of their house and go to the police.”
A case of rape has been opened at Witbank SAPS and an arrest has been made.
* Names changed to protect the victims of sexual crimes.
