Having a drink in the veld with a man she did not know turned into tragedy for a 39-year-old woman who was raped by her companion.
|||Cape Town - Having a drink in the veld near Mnandi Beach on Thursday with a man she did not know turned into tragedy for a 39-year-old woman who was raped by her companion.
The victim joined the man, who she said she didn’t know, for a drink late yesterday afternoon.
“About 7pm, a 39-year-old woman was raped at Mnandi Beach, Rocklands,” police spokesman Warrant Officer November Filander said.
“It is alleged that the victim was drinking with an unknown man in the bushes, and when they were finished drinking the suspect raped her.
Police have asked anyone with information to contact Crime Stop at 08600 10111 or Mitchells Plain police station at 021 376 9850.
Filander appealed to the public to “know the people you are with when you are socialising, and be responsible at all times”.
Meanwhile, the Cape Agulhas Municipality has pledged to stop violence in its community after the rape and murder of teenager Anene Booysen in Bredasdorp. Police, trauma councillors and community leaders gathered at a hall in the town yesterday to share their stories.
The municipality’s Anneleen Vorster said violence would no longer be tolerated in the community.
She said the municipality also wanted to send the message that it was okay to talk about rape.
“There is a stigma attached to rape. This campaign is not only because of Anene. One out of four women is raped in South Africa.
“Look around you… there are those who are hurt, but don’t have the courage to come forward and talk about it.
“We, as a community, support you and want this pledge to spread.”
The municipality handed out pamphlets with a pledge to be violence-free; to never commit or condone crime; to report all known and suspected incidents of violence and to teach children self-esteem and self-worth.
Sophia Europa, a mother and grandmother, stood up and told her daughter’s story.
“A few months ago my 29-year-old daughter was abused by her 41-year-old boyfriend.
“They were dating for four months and he was abusive, I encouraged her to leave him. One evening, a friend of hers called to say she heard shouts and screams coming from her place.”
Europa said she was shocked to see her daughter when she arrived at her home: “Her skin was peeling and there were slashes all over her face.”
She held up posters of her daughter’s scarred face.
“The boyfriend said if he couldn’t have her, no one else could have her.
“My five-year-old granddaughter witnessed it and is still traumatised and receiving treatment,” she said.
Malvern de Bruyn, a facilitator for the Department of Community Safety, said violence could be stopped through knowledge and power.
“Ending violence against women and children is one of my key objectives,” she said.
Resident Pof Louw said:
“I am lucky that my family and I have never been affected by violence, but I’m here today to talk from a man’s point of view. There are men who respect you (women) and think that you are wonderful,” he said tearfully.
Cape Argus