Durban - A pupil on her way to write a matric exam was dragged into bushes and raped near Camperdown on Wednesday.
The girl had been walking to school in Ntekwa to write the English paper and was reading her notes when she was accosted.
The attacker, not known to her, caught her unawares at about 7am.
Police spokeswoman, Colonel Thembeka Mbhele, confirmed police were investigating.
Mbhele said the pupil managed to escape the rapist when he heard voices nearby and went to check, at which point she ran away.
“The pupil was walking and reading along the river on her way to school when the suspect came out of nowhere and dragged her into the bush to rape her. She tried to fight him off, to stop, but could not.
“When the suspect heard people talking, she fled and some people saw her and took her to the police,” she said.
Mbhele said the pupil described the rapist and although she did not know him, felt she would be able to identify him.
Mbhele said police took the girl to her school, but the principal advised the traumatised pupil against writing. She was then taken to hospital for attention.
Education Department spokesman, Sihle Mlotshwa, said the girl was too traumatised to write the exam.
“She was very distraught and taken by the police for questioning. Our psychological services will assess her and see whether she is able to write the other exams. If she writes the other exams we will check her results and if she failed in any learning areas we will arrange for her to write supplementary exams,” Mlotshwa said.
Education MEC, Mthandeni Dlungwane, expressed disgust at the rape and called on the community to assist police in bringing the suspect to book. He said the principal, teachers and fellow pupils were shaken.
“No amount of words can express my anger at this gross violation of the rights of this innocent learner.
“Our hearts are with the learner and her family during this traumatic period,” he said.
“I want to make a clarion call to the people of KwaZulu-Natal. We must not rest until those involved are brought to book. Importantly, let us unite and cushion our learners against any form of abuse and social ills during this period,” Dlungwane said.