Cape Town - Three teenagers are to appear in court on Thursday after a young woman friend they had dinner with was allegedly raped and held captive for hours.
The 21-year-old woman, who has described the three as more “brothers” than friends she grew up with, said the alleged incident happened on Sunday.
Police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk confirmed that a rape complaint had been lodged at the Muizenberg Police Station on Monday.
The victim, who cannot be identified, told the Cape Times on Wednesday she had dinner with the suspects on Sunday at about 8.30pm. It was at the home of one of the suspects whose parents were away. She stayed with them for a few hours, but when she wanted to leave they allegedly stopped her, she said.
“They didn’t want to open the door. I was sitting on a chair and the one guy grabbed me. One took my shoes. The other one took my clothes. Then they were busy with me.”
The suspects, aged about 16 and 17, ignored her pleas for them to let her go and it was only the next day that she managed to escape when a neighbour heard what was happening, she said. The woman ran to her home nearby and told her brother, who immediately called the police.
Her brother, who also cannot be named in order to protect her identity, said he caught two of the suspects and waited for police to arrive.
He did not know where the third suspect was, but said he was later arrested.
A close family friend of the victim said she came home after 3pm on Monday and could not understand why the police had not responded immediately. She ran down the road and saw a police vehicle she said. “I was furious. I was going to kill these guys… but I thought rather leave it to the police,” the family friend said.
The 21-year-old woman and her brother were taken to the Muizenberg Police Station to give statements before she was taken to hospital.
The woman said she couldn’t believe it when on Tuesday two of the suspects were outside her home taunting her.
Her brother said he could not understand why they were not kept in custody.
Another police spokesman, Andre Traut, said if there were allegations that the police had not acted immediately, he advised that an official complaint be lodged.
National Prosecuting Authority provincial spokesman Eric Ntabazalila said three suspects had been arrested. “One is being kept at the Fish Hoek Police Station juvenile cells. The other two were warned and are with their families. All will be appearing at the Muizenberg Magistrate’s Court tomorrow (today).”
Cape Times