Runner shares her survival story

Recovering from a brutal attack and sexual assault, a local woman runner has shared her story of her fight for survival.

The woman, who may not be named as the attacker has not yet been arrested, revealed how she fought for her life for a solid 40 minutes while an unknown man repeatedly tried to rape her, strangle her and told her she was going to die.

The woman was ambushed just two kilometres into her run along the road between Mataffin and Sabie/Lydenberg, a popular training road for runners and cyclists alike, at around 05:45 on Wednesday morning, April 28.

An initial statement by the Mpumalanga police had said the woman was attacked, raped, had her watch stolen and was then thrown into the Crocodile River, before being rushed to hospital where the police alleged she was discharged after half a day, suffering bruises all over her body.

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The woman said in reality, the attack was much more brutal, and she had spent a total of five days in ICU, not half a day as the police statement originally indicated.

“This had nothing to do with common crime. The intent from the start was to rape and harm me.”

Describing the ambush, the woman said she was grabbed from behind by a man and dragged off the road, through the long grass.

He pulled her onto a dirt road that runs parallel to the tar motorway.

“I was either dragged, pulled or held and lead by my neck very roughly for about 600 to 800 metres all the way down to the river. When I asked the man what he wanted, he just repeated, ‘Vagina.’ I was beyond terrified,” said the woman.

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“Along the way I was hit in the face numerous times as I tried to fight for my life to get away.”

The woman said the man began sexually assaulting her as he was dragging her to the river and attempted to rape her three times during the attack.

“Each time I struggled, I was strangled or the man held his hand over my mouth and told me to shut up or I was going to die. “

“After the second rape attempt, he grabbed me by my legs and dragged me on my back until we were in a forested section along the river. Beneath one of the trees, he stopped and used his body weight to hold me down flat – this was the third time he tried to rape me and it was impossible for me to get away.

“He tried for what felt like a very long time, and I lay silent as I was petrified that he would kill me. I pulled all of the muscles in my lower body tightly together and he was unable to penetrate me.”

She said he had, however, sexually assaulted her by rubbing against her and using his hands. The woman said after the rape had not gone as had planned, the man was visibly irritated and became even more violent.

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She said as he grabbed her wrists to drag her to the river, he noticed her watch and demanded to know if it had a tracker. He ripped it from her wrist and accused her of tricking him.

She said he then started to drag her very roughly by her ankles over tree roots and small rocks and stones, and said she was going to die. She said the attacker had dragged her right to the river’s edge where he began strangling her again.

“I started to feel dizzy and faint, and then suddenly felt water in my face. I opened my eyes – I was unsure if I was dead or alive. I was lying on the river edge partly submerged in the water, but still able to breathe. I obviously did not black out completely, but felt very disorientated.

“I kept very still as I realised I was still alive and needed an escape route. After a few seconds, I looked back and the man was gone.”

The woman said, struggling to catch her breath, she started swimming to try get to safety.

“I swam to an island of sticks and debris in the middle of the river. I managed to pull myself up and lie on top of it for a moment, where I planned my next steps.

“I was very aware that there were hippos and was anxious as I could hear them nearby, but my only option was to cross the river to the other side and get up to the road.

“I got back into the water and swam as fast as I could to the other side. I then used my long sleeve top to make a skirt so I was covered a bit more.

“At this point I had no shoes, socks or shorts, and was shivering and freezing.”

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She said once she got to the tar road, she tried to flag down a few cars, but no one would stop, so she began walking home. Eventually, after a few minutes, a husband and wife, who she referred to as “absolute angels”, stopped on the roadside when they saw her.

“They helped me into the back of their vehicle and contacted Hi-Tech for an ambulance, my husband and my work. I was collected by the ambulance and taken to Mediclinic’s emergency/casualty. The woman from Hi-Tech who helped me in the ambulance was amazing, as she tried to keep me as warm as possible.”

Despite the trauma she endured, the runner said she is trying to keep positive and is “just so truly grateful to be alive after spending five days in the ICU” continuing to fight for her life.

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The runner thanked the Mediclinic team, her friends close and far, her family, work colleagues, directors and Grip whose love and support, she said, has been “absolutely incredible during this difficult time”.

“I would also like to thank my husband who has been my rock throughout this horrific experience. Together, we will get through this.”

EXPERTS RESPOND:

 Greater Rape Intervention Programme founder Barbara Kenyon said she is aware of the road and it is also used as a commute for those from Mataffin going to and from work.

“Besides that fact, I know many joggers and walkers including myself who train/walk in the early morning in a popular reserve which is even less populated and I would be horrified if anyone blamed us for other people’s criminal actions. A sad indictment on those who are victim blaming.”

Great People of South Africa’s Zintle Khobeni said “most people who experience sexual violence are ignored” when reporting to law enforcement.

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Khobeni said she was “not surprised at all” that police had taken over a week to take the runner’s full statement.

“The police do not have the adequate resources. They need to be retrained,” she said.

“Most people do not report when they experience sexual assault as they feel the SAPS are of no help.

“If they do report and their statement is taken, often the police just don’t investigate. We had 50 cases being struck off the court roll (nationally) between June and August last year because the SAPS did not investigate properly,” Khobeni said.

“If you ask me, the police don’t adhere to domestic and sexual violence protocols. I’ve heard of cases in which the police tell women to investigate it themselves.”

She added that in the Western Cape it was becoming common practice for women who are survivors of rape, and assault, to go to gangsters as they feel the thugs offer them more protection than the SAPS.

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Institute of Security Studies (ISS) ISS’ Lizette Lancaster said most rapes are not reported to the police and are notoriously underreported for various reasons.

Lancaster said it was usually not reported due to the stigma attached to rape, as well as the secondary trauma victims have to go through when they to tell the SAPS and courts about their experience.

“Very often the police don’t act with the necessary sensitivity that is needed in these cases. The success of a case relies heavily on how seriously the police take it and the sensitivity they show when dealing with the victim,” she said.

Lancaster added that the country has specialised units that deal with sexual crimes, but it is important to understand who is in charge of the case.