Durban - The alleged gang rape of a University of Zululand student has raised concerns that universities are not doing enough to prevent campus attacks on women.
Three men were arrested on Monday for the rape of a 20-year-old student in one of the institution’s residences.
The suspects, aged between 24 and 29 years were expected to appear in the Mthunzini Magistrate’s Court soon, said police spokesman Colonel Jay Naicker.
One of the three, a student, is well known to staff and students on the campus in eMpangeni.
The Daily News has learnt that the woman’s drink may have been spiked at an off-campus party.
The rape on Friday night is believed to have taken place in one of the suspect’s dorm rooms.
The university has confirmed that a university investigation is under way. Spokeswoman Normah Zondo said the incident was believed to have happened at its East Block residence.
She said the university had yet to establish if the suspects were students from the institution.
“The university’s security is internally investigating a gang rape case and due processes will be followed,” Zondo said.
Commenting on rape at universities in general, Dr Maheshvari Naidu, a social anthropologist and senior lecturer in the School of Social Sciences at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, said that while many universities, including UKZN, had paid attention to putting up signage warning students not to use certain secluded toilets or walk alone, this did little more than put “a flimsy Band-Aid” on the pathology of campus assault.
“And not all campus rapes are the result of a drunken orgy, some are ‘date rapes’ and perpetrators you know, while others are insidious predators who may or may not even be registered students.”
She said this was a sad reflection of the wider society, but perhaps sadder still and more abhorrent was the perception, that many campuses either cover up rapes or fail to adequately publicise these crimes.
“The reality of rape and coercive sex on the various institutional spaces and university residences was probably much more pervasive than one imagines. While we may hear of particular instances where the woman involved has laid an official complaint or charge, many other instances go unspoken and remain invisible.”
In a reply to a question in Parliament last year, Minister of Higher Education Blade Nzimande revealed there had been 247 reported cases of sexual violence, domestic violence and rape at 15 universities across the country in the past three years.
Of the 30 reported cases of rape, only eight reached a conclusion.
Of the 68 reports of sexual violence, 38 were taken further and, of the 149 reports of domestic violence among students, 18 were pursued to a conclusion by the universities.
Michelle Smith, trauma counsellor at the Jes Foord Foundation, said she could not comment on how big a problem campus rape was in the province because she had not recently counselled a client who was raped on campus.
“The reality is that current statistics show that seven rapes are happening per hour (SAPS statistics) which is a scary reality that I do not think we’re adequately addressing.”
Smith said universities had to take an active role in terms of ensuring safety.
“There should also be a system in place if any incident does occur. (A victim) should go straight to either the police station or (to a crisis centre) in order to get the medical assistance needed, (including) the rape kit done by a district surgeon.”
Last month, a man was sentenced to 10 years for raping a University of KwaZulu-Natal student in 2012.
Xabiso Xaki, 22, raped the 21-year-old woman on February 25, 2012, while her boyfriend was asleep next to her.
When she woke her boyfriend, Xaki attempted to flee. The boyfriend gave chase and was able to apprehend the accused.
On January 29 this year, a University of Stellenbosch student was raped in a men’s residence.
A police and internal investigation are continuing.
On September 21 last year, Johannesburg Central police arrested a 30-year-old male for rape at Wits University.
It was alleged at the time that a suspect raped a 22-year-old woman at Phumlani Garden, Newtown, at 2am.
The victim allegedly woke up in the male student’s bed and saw condoms on the floor after they had been for drinks at Gandhi Square.
Additional reporting by Nosipho Mngoma
Daily News