VICTIMS OF ASSAULT, RAPE SEEK JUSTICE

The family of the 86-year-old woman and a 12-year-old girl is seeking justice after the traumatic experience in Luzuphu, Lusikisiki. It is alleged that on 02 March 2024 at night, while an old woman and her 12yr old grandchild were asleep, a group of men forced entry into the house where the 2 were sleeping. They asked for money. After she told these people that she didn’t go to town, they assaulted her and she sustained a knife wound on her upper body.

 Family spokesperson, Nonkululeko Sihlobo says according to the victim, while this other man was busy assaulting the old woman, on the other side another man dragged the 12-year-old out of her bed and pulled her outside, dragging her down to a dark place and raped her.

“The young girl also says she resisted and was also fighting until she was stabbed about 13 wounds on the front and back” Sihlobo said.

 It has been reported that as she was bleeding so badly, she didn’t mention being raped but only talked about the stabbing and assault, and also mentioned that the man tried to rape her.

According to Khula Development Project’s Petros Majola, medical, was performed at St. Elizabeth hospital but it appears that she was not checked if she was raped or not, until community structures went back to confront Health Care facility to request that she must also be checked. Majola expressed his concern on the number of days spent by the victim in hospital without examination.

“My concern is that the child spent a number of days in hospital but never checked if there was any sexual penetration or not” Majola said.

Police have confirmed the incident. OR Tambo police spokesperson, Captain Weile Matyolo says the arrests were made after one man confessed.

“After the arrest, the accused was released shortly after the prosecuting authority cited the lack of evidence as the reason the case cannot be registered. However, we are in talks with the NPA for registration of the case” Captain Matyolo said.