A 33-year-old rape victim is hoping to put behind the horrid nightmare of what happened on 11 November, when she was assaulted, mugged and raped by one of two knife-wielding men.
The traumatised victim, who could not be named due to the sensitivity of the case, but whose name is known to the publication, had just finished work at a busy restaurant near Jim Fouché Road when the incident happened.
According to the mother of one, after her long shift, she decided to walk to the intersection at Beyers Naudé Drive and Jim Fouché Road at about 9.30pm to catch a taxi that would commute her to Katlehong, where she lives.
Upon proceeding in the dark, she said she was confronted by the first man, who asked her for a cigarette. Meanwhile, a second man stormed up from behind a tree and demanded her belongings before assaulting and raping her.
“We knocked off very late on that Friday because of a function. I did not feel like going home because of the time,” she said.
The victim explained that normally she walks with another colleague who lives in Soweto. But on the day, the colleague had to work an extra shift. “I was supposed to walk with my colleague but I couldn’t wait for her because she was still on duty,” she said.
The cigarette box from the cigarette that she gave him is still at the scene, near the tree where the victim was raped.
“While I argued about smoking with him, the second man, whom I can’t describe, came up behind me, drew a knife and demanded money from my purse. I tried shouting for help from the nearby garage, but no one could hear me,” she shared.
When she thought they were done, the restaurant coordinator, in work uniform, was ordered to take off her clothes, before they ripped them off her body. When she attempted to fight back, the perpetrators assaulted and threatened to cut her throat. “There was nothing I can do. They kicked me in the face and threatened to take my life if I did not do as told. They dragged me in the mud and left me lying there after raping me,” she explained.
“I hope the police can find them and arrest them so that I can find closure,” she said, clearly emotional.
The victim’s boss who rushed to the scene after being told about the incident said she did everything she could to make sure her employee received proper mental care to overcome the nightmare.
The employer said she also encouraged her staff to reside in areas close to the restaurant, in case there’s a crisis and she has to transport them home. She also emphasised that most of her staff have been complaining about suspicious gangs who harass them on Beyers Naudé Drive.
Honeydew police spokesperson Captain Balan Muthan confirmed the case. He said the case has been transferred to a specialised unit which deals specifically with rape cases. “The case was reported and it’s being investigated. However, no arrests have been made yet,” said Muthan.
