Durban - RESIDENTS of a Durban community yesterday took the law into their own hands after a child was raped in the area, allegedly the second victim within a week.
The residents, who live in an informal settlement of Cato Manor, tore down a transit camp unit where it was alleged a 7-year-old was raped.
They burnt furniture and clothing from the unit when they saw blood on the floor and on the bedsheets.
A city official warned, however, that the residents may have destroyed crucial evidence in venting their anger.
The 7-year-old was raped on Friday, but her mother said she only realised on Saturday morning that something had happened to her daughter.
“On Saturday morning, she woke up and came to me with her underwear soaked in blood. I could tell that she was in severe pain. I checked her and realised she was raped. I called the neighbours and police.”
The woman said they rushed the child to King Edward VIII Hospital while she was bleeding continuously. There staff told her that the person who deals with rape cases was not on duty, and she was referred to Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Phoenix.
“At Mahatma Gandhi, my child was attended to, samples were taken and the bleeding was controlled. They gave her antibiotics and transferred us to Addington Hospital, where they said she was ready to go home. My daughter is still having trouble sleeping and I can tell that what happened to her will always bother her,” she said.
Residents visited the family yesterday to get information from the child, who described in detail what had happened to her and pointed them to a nearby transit camp unit.
The mother said the girl was at a nearby church when she went outside to drink water. A man lured her to his unit, where he raped her.
The residents found the unit locked. On calling the owner of the unit, they were told the person who rented it “would never do such a gruesome thing” and that no one had been living there recently.
The mob finally got into the unit and found bloody footprints on the floor and sheets covered in blood on the bed. The angry residents then tore down the unit, took out the furniture and burnt it on the street.
The owner of the unit, who would not be named, said the unit had been empty since April last year and he was the only one with the keys.
Early last week a man was suspected to have tried to rape a 13-year-old girl in the same area. He was attacked by community members and later died of his injuries.
Residents said rape had become common in the area and cases were not resolved. “We are tired of waiting for someone else to come and do things for us. We will protect our children by ourselves. We do not expect another person who does not live here, who does not have kids walking these streets, to come and protect us and our children,” said one, who would not be named.
Ward councillor Mthembu Mvelase said the transit camp belonged to the municipality. Units provide temporary accommodation for people waiting to be placed in formal housing.
“The person who is renting out the place is wrong. We will report this to the housing department. Despite the tragedy, we do not condone violence.
“Community members must let the police deal with the matter. With what has happened here, they may have destroyed the evidence that the police might need to arrest the perpetrator,” said Mvelase.
When Mvelase arrived at the alleged crime scene, he found paint had been poured over the bloodstains. It was still wet and neighbours said they had not seen who was responsible.
The Health Department said specialised forensic emergency health-care services for rape survivors were provided at these hospitals in Durban:
RK Khan
Prince Mshiyeni Memorial
Addington
Mahatma Gandhi Memorial.