In another very disturbing incident, a 15-year-old girl from Nzhelele was kidnapped on her way to school on Friday, 20 October, and then gang-raped for an entire weekend. One suspect has been arrested.
Limpopo police spokesperson Brig Hlulani Mashaba said the girl, who cannot be named to protect her identity, was walking to school when a red sedan with three occupants drove up and stopped next to her. One of the occupants alighted from the vehicle and hit her over the head with a walking stick, and she lost consciousness. While she was unconscious, the suspects loaded her into their vehicle and drove off to a house in Dzanani village, where they took turns in raping her. According to Mashaba, the girl's nightmare ordeal lasted the whole weekend. She finally managed to make her escape when two of her captors left her in the guard of the third man, who walked with crutches, on Sunday afternoon (22 October).
The girl ran screaming from the house and was assisted by the community, who in turn summoned the police. The cripple suspect was arrested at the house shortly afterwards and is to appear in court soon for rape and kidnapping. Mashaba said the police were working around the clock to apprehend the other two suspects as well.
The incident received much condemnation from the community. Mr Richard Ramabulana, of the Vhembe Concerned Group, said that for a young girl to go through something like this was quite shocking. "Things are getting out of hand. How are we going to handle this one, where learners are no longer safe even on their way to school? Do they have to stop going to school because of criminals? These criminals are provoking the community. Let us all rise as a community and fight crime in all its forms and give criminals no space to operate," he said.
Limpopo Police Commissioner Lt Gen Thembi Hadebe has issued a stern warning to perpetrators of gender-based violence and has instructed the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Investigating team to be relentless in tracing all those involved in the incident.
Members of the public who can provide the police with information relating to the incident can contact the investigating officer, Sgt Tshimangadzo Sinyosi, on 074 646 8390 or at 015 519 4300. Alternatively, call the Crime Stop hotline number on 08600 10111.