Woman feigns death to survive vicious rape

In a harrowing incident, a woman from Tshikonelo survived a vicious rape attack by feigning death. The attack occurred after she had gone out for a night of fun at a tavern in Mhinga village.

The woman was with a man who forcibly took her to the nearby Pfalanomo village, where he raped her and then dumped her. After the ordeal, she attempted to run home but encountered the same attacker when she saw the lights of an oncoming car and hoped for help. The attacker forced her into the car again, stabbed her with a broken bottle, and threw her out. Pretending to be dead, she managed to make her attacker flee.

A passerby found the woman and took her to a local hospital for medical treatment. The incident happened on Saturday, 18 May, and has been widely condemned.

Mr Itani Nengudza of the Real Men Foundation expressed deep concern about the rising number of violent cases against women and children. “It seems as if we are fighting a losing battle. The more we preach against this scourge, the more it happens. We need to come together and work as one to face a common enemy. The victims should also be part of the fight. Most of these incidents happen at places where the victims were not supposed to be. Just imagine the odd hours the victims are away from home. Let us all together take the fight forward,” he said.

Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba confirmed the incident, stating, “We have since opened an attempted murder and a rape case. The suspect is not known so far, but he was driving a silver BMW. We are following up leads and hope the suspect will be arrested soon. Anyone with information that can assist with the arrest of the suspect should contact Detective Commander Bernard Shivambu at 082 565 7270, the crime stop number 0860010111, or the nearest police station. The investigation is ongoing.”

Date:23 May 2024

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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