Dutywa, Eastern Cape - A half-blind, hearing-impaired grandmother was raped by a man who then fell asleep in her bed in Mthuvi village, Dutywa, Eastern Cape police said on Friday.
Captain Jackson Manatha said the 69-year-old woman was sleeping in a rondavel with her 12-year-old grandson when a man broke in at 2am on Wednesday.
“We suspect that the man was able to push the door open and the granny did not wake up because she cannot hear properly.” Manatha said the woman was also “partly blind”.
Her grandson told the police he heard noises, but thought his grandmother was going outside to the toilet.
“The man raped the granny and was able to stop her from screaming. The granny then ran out of the rondavel and was found by one of the neighbours sleeping next to the garden at 7am,” he said.
The neighbour took the woman inside the rondavel to see why she had slept outside.
“But the neighbour was shocked to see running shoes protruding from the bed where the granny was supposed to be sleeping. The man fell asleep in bed... he must have been drunk,” said Manatha.
The neighbour pulled the blanket back to find a man sleeping in the bed.
“They were supposed to call the police first and the suspect woke up and ran away.”
The rapist, in his early 20s, was identified is a neighbour. He was yet to be arrested.
“We have his name and we are looking for him,” said Manatha. - Sapa