Woman who accused ANC man of rape lives in fear

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Published Jul 28, 2016

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Pretoria - The rape case against a senior member of the ANC in Ga-Rankuwa has been at a standstill since charges were laid - and on Wednesday the victim spoke of her fear of retaliation.

She now plans to move away from the area. The victim, an unemployed mother of two, was lured into months of sex with the man on the promise of a job early this year.

On Wednesday she said she feared being harmed by the man and his supporters in the community. She also feared for her children.

“A crowd once came to my house and threatened to burn my house down, so I know exactly what can happen if they think I am a threat.”

The woman laid rape charges against the young ANC leader (his name has been deliberately withheld) at the end of June, on the advice of senior party members and activists after the three-month sex spree, which yielded no results for her.

She had been referred to the man by a ward councillor, who told her he would get her a job and intervene in the many poverty-related problems she and her children faced.

He had then demanded sex in exchange, but when three months later he had not delivered on his promises she appealed to higher party structures and was told to lay charges.

The man denied the allegations when contacted by the Pretoria News, and said the woman was merely being vindictive because he had offered her a job she did not want.

He had threatened to open a case of intimidation and defamation of character against her, saying at the time: “Taking into account that I am a leader, this is a direct attack on my character.”

The woman spoke of the desperation which drove her into the man’s clutches, saying he had dangled a carrot in front of her. “My children had been hungry and extremely impoverished for months and he looked like hope,” she said.

His demand for sex had caught her off-guard, she said. “He was harsh in his demands. When I refused he reminded me of my situation and said he was the only person who could make life better.”

She had endured the humiliation of their sexual encounters until she felt brave enough to walk away and risk poverty. After she mentioned the exploitation of women by men in leadership at a community meeting she was cornered by weapon-bearing community members at her home, who threatened to burn her house down. “They said they would kill us, and that fear drove my children and myself into considering moving.”

Plans to relocate to her hometown are well advanced, she said. She felt let down by the system. “All the work I did here has yielded nothing. I volunteered and worked in many schools where children sat on the floor and used ablutions so bad they were inhumane,” she said.

She was instrumental in the turn-around of those situations yet the Education Department failed to employ her. She did a lot of community work, approved by the ANC, and then the man exploited her. “I feel so used.”

The fear of living in a community whose leaders blatantly abused the system left her scared. She said laying charges had angered them and left her with no choice but to leave.

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@ntsandvose

Pretoria News

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