Transgender woman allegedly raped in Meadowlands
Lethabo Khore (24) fears for her life because her alleged rapist was allegedly released from jail a few days after the arrest.
The month of June is as marked Pride Month. It’s a time to recall the trials the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex (LGBTQI+) community has endured and to advocate against LGBTQI+ hate crimes, such as the so called ‘corrective rape’ of lesbians in townships.
The month is also dedicated to uplifting the LGBTQI+ voices, celebrating them, and showing support for their rights. Unfortunately, for the 24-year old Lethabo Khore, who is a transgender, Pride Month was a nightmare as she was allegedly raped in Meadowlands.
She said she now fears for her life because her alleged rapist was allegedly released from jail a few days after the arrest. “I currently don’t have a reliable phone, so I use my partner’s phone by inserting my sim card in his phone. I realised that I had a lot of missed calls from an unknown number, almost every day this person would attempt to call, so on Sunday, June 13, I decided to call the number to find out who this person is,” said Khore.
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“I then asked who he was and he said he needed to tell me something very important requesting that we meet up. I became curious and went to meet with him. When I arrived there, I even went past him because I did not know him. He did not even greet me he just started by saying, ‘you are mine’ at the same time attempting to touch me in a way that made me feel uncomfortable,” she explained.
Lethabo said this man requested that they go to his home in Meadowlands Zone 6 and he will tell her what he had said was important as they walk.
“When we arrived at his place, his mother was there and she argued with him. Apparently, he had stolen his mother’s phone. He then violently threw me into his room, attempting to seduce me but I pushed him. He started using force and ended up biting me. I tried fighting him, I even requested to go to the bathroom so that I can run away, but he escorted me. I was so helpless, I ended up requesting that he use a condom, I wanted to protect my health since I could no longer fight to not get raped but he raped me without it anyway. What surprised me is that his mother was there and she heard that I was fighting with this guy but she just kept quiet,” Khore said.
What scares Khore is that she thinks her alleged rapist might be stalking her because he called her by her name and had her contact details. She said the fact that his alleged rapist is free has taken away her freedom
“I reported him at the Meadowlands Police Station, I was taken to the hospital for blood tests and he was arrested, but I later heard that he was seen somewhere near Bara. On Facebook, he is busy posting intimidating posts and sending threats.
“I don’t feel safe, I don’t sleep at night and my life is a nightmare. His remarks made me feel as though he wanted to experiment with me as a transgender because he also mentioned that his friends also want me.
“It is sad. People need to accept that I am a woman and stop asking how I got my breasts and creating unnecessary curiosity about my body, I am a woman, period!” said Khore.
Lethabo’s mother, Grace Khore who has been supportive, said when she told her about the incident, she was shaking and she had never seen her that scared before.
Meadowlands police spokesperson sergeant Octavia Thebe said the suspect was arrested, appeared in court, and was given another date.
“It’s not over, the case continues, the complainant will be contacted when the court needs a statement from her. In the case were the complainant feels threatened, she can show the messages to the investigative officer and he will take it from there,” Thebe said.
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