Kimberly - A 38-year-old epileptic woman was raped and her pelvic area mutilated while she was unconscious after she was apparently hit on the back of her head.
The incident, which left the woman with deep cuts on the inside of both her legs, as well as on her foot and face, happened while she was on her way to the Floors Clinic on Monday morning.
The woman said that she felt something hit her on the back of her head. She seemingly lost consciousness and when she woke up, she realised that she was covered in blood.
“My pants had been ripped off and I was bleeding from the cuts on the outer parts of my genitals. My right foot was also cut and I couldn’t walk because of the pain.”
She managed to alert the staff at a nearby swimming pool and they called the police.
“I was taken to the Kimberley police station in Phakamile Majiba Road, where I gave a statement on what I could remember,” the woman said.
She pointed out that she never saw anything strange or anybody following her.
She was taken to the Kimberley Hospital where the doctors examined her.
“They said they would send the samples to the laboratory for testing and also told me that my injuries were so severe that they were surprised I survived.”
“They stitched my injuries and gave me medication for the pain.” On the one inner thigh alone she has more than 18 stitches.
The woman explained how the incident has affected her life and small things that people take for granted, like going to the toilet, now cause her extreme pain.
“I can’t sit down for a long time or walk a long distance. My genitals are sore, especially when I need to go to the toilet. It’s the most painful experience because everything had to be stitched back and it hurts terribly,” she said.
“The doctors at Kimberley Hospital gave me a referral letter to see a psychologist at the Galeshewe Day Hospital, who really helped me to cope.”
The woman added, however, that since the incident, the police have not come to her house and she still does not have a case number.
“I don’t know what is happening with the investigation or the tests from the Kimberley Hospital.
“I don’t know if I was infected with HIV, whether the perpetrator was arrested, or how badly I was injured.”
Police spokesman, Lieutenant Olebogeng Tawana, confirmed yesterday that a case of rape is being investigated after a woman from Colville was attacked.
“The victim was visited by the investigating officer yesterday, and a statement has been obtained from her.
“The officer used his discretion at the time of the incident not to take a statement from the victim because she was traumatised,” Tawana said.
“We appeal to any person from the community to communicate information that can lead to the arrest of suspect in this instance, to the investigating officer, Warrant Officer Elizma Roos at the Family Violence, Sexual Offence and Child Protection Unit.”
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