Durban - The ANCWL in KwaZulu-Natal has condemned the rape of an elderly woman in KwaDindi, in the Vulindlela area, outside Pietermaritzburg.
“The league condemns these barbaric acts in the strongest possible terms and urges the SA Police Service to ensure that the perpetrator is arrested for Sunday's incident,” African National Congress Women's League spokeswoman Nonhlanhla Khoza said on Thursday.
Lieutenant Joey Jeevan told The Witness newspaper that the woman was about to go to bed in her one-room house around 9pm when she heard a knock on the door, and another on a window. She ignored the knocking.
A man with a knife later climbed through a window, Jeevan reportedly said.
The man raped the woman several times until the early hours of Monday morning. He then threatened the woman and demanded cash.
“This is shocking, cruel and inhumane,” Khoza said.
The ANCWL said it was concerned about the increasing incidents of rape of elderly women in KwaZulu-Natal. At least four elderly women were raped last year in the province.
On Wednesday, Khoza visited the family of a 28-year-old woman who was raped and killed in Ladysmith two weeks ago.
“Her naked body was dumped in the bush. Some of her body parts such as eyes, private parts and intestines were missing when the body was found,” she said.
Khoza said it was not known whether the woman's body had been mutilated, or attacked by animals, as it was decomposed when found by the police.
“The ANCWL strongly believes that courts should impose the harshest possible punishment against those found guilty of crimes against women,” she said. - Sapa