Durban North resident drugged and raped

A DURBAN North resident has told of the mental anguish she experienced after being raped by a man she does not know. Hayley (who would only give her first name) said she has been left shattered, shamed and disempowered by her ordeal.

She alleged that her drink was spiked at a Durban North bar with the date rape drug, Rohypnol. She was then taken to an uMhlanga flat by an unknown man where she was raped. She awoke the next morning, naked and covered in bruises, with no memory of the events leading up to where she was. To her utter disbelief, Hayley found the man smirking when she woke up. The incident took place nine days ago.

Rohypnol has been used to commit sexual assaults because it renders the victim incapable of resisting, giving it the reputation of the ‘date rape’ drug. Its effects render the person paralytic and they start twenty to thirty minutes after being given the drug, peak within two hours and may persist for eight or even twelve hours. Afterwards, memory is impaired with no recall of what happened.

“I’m disgusted when I think about what he did. It makes me feel shame and it was a complete violation. Not remembering anything makes it worse. I remember waking up naked and asking who the hell he was. He told me that he did the honourable thing by not letting me drive home drunk. I knew something was wrong. He just made out I was drinking too much. He then went into the shower and I remember sitting there, crying. I bolted as quickly as I could from his apartment,” she said.

The 43-year-old, who has been receiving counselling at the Jes Foord Foundation, said she had gone to a bar to meet her friend. When Northglen News met with Hayley on Wednesday, she showed photos of heavy bruising along her legs and arms. “I had bruises on my ankles, my breasts and upper thighs.

“When I got to the bar, my friend told me she wouldn’t be able to make it. So I ordered a glass of wine and was going to go home after. I remember asking an elderly couple next to me to watch my table while I went to the loo. I came back, took another sip of wine and then completely blacked out,” she said.

Her traumatic ordeal has also inspired her to begin a support group, which she hopes would give date rape victims a platform to share their stories.

“This man is a predator. Who knows how many people he has done this to. I want to share my story with other women and hopefully help set up a support group for date rape victims. You hear of stories like this and you think it will never happen to you. The biggest lesson I’ve learnt from this is not to leave your drink unattended,” Hayley said.

Related article 

Durban North woman brutally attacked over parking space 

New nail polish detects date rape drug