Cape Town - Despite positively identifying her alleged rapist, a Grabouw woman is yet to find justice.
The 25-year-old woman is accusing the police of working with her alleged rapist to get her case struck off the roll.
The college student said she was raped by a man who had given her a lift from Atlantis, where she studies, to Grabouw.
Although the suspect was arrested, the docket went missing and the court had to release him. The police are now battling to find him as they do not have his real information.
“It was in August last year when I was travelling from my flat in Atlantis to Grabouw. I hitch-hiked as usual and this man stopped for me, saying he was travelling in that direction.”
The woman said as they came closer to Grabouw. the man changed direction and took her to a secluded area where he raped her.
“He then gave me a towel to wipe myself and dropped me in Grabouw not far from my house. I quickly reported this to my parents who took me to the police station to report the case.”
The woman was raped in the same area where serial rapist Sinaye Siqhuma, 29, conducted a reign of terror in 2018. He preyed on hitch-hiking women and would win the trust of his victims and offer them assistance by giving them a lift to the Sir Lowry’s Pass area.
He was convicted and sentenced on seven rape charges in November last year. He received a life sentence for every rape charge.
The 25-year-old’s incident happened on August 12 last year and the suspect was arrested the following day in Hermanus driving the same vehicle, with the towel and wearing the same clothes described by the victim.
She had high hopes, because she thought there was enough evidence to get the man convicted. What happened shocked her and made her lose trust in the police.
“The investigating officer had an attitude towards me. He told me my case was weak and he would come with his whole family when questioning me. I would talk in front of his wife and children about my ordeal. When I asked about the DNA results, he would tell me they were with him and he didn’t take them to court.”
She said this led her to believe that the officer was on the payroll of the accused.
Last month, the man was released as his docket was empty, according to the family. The victim’s mother said they are denied justice by corrupt officers.
“I cannot afford a lawyer, so we would have a lawyer for one appearance and the next he is not there because we cannot afford the fees. Last month, our lawyer was shocked to find the docket empty. He asked what was happening and the suspect had to be released while the police fix their mess.”
The mother said they found out that the suspect was from Lesotho and the licence he was arrested with, did not belong to him. She added they had it on good authority that Home Affairs didn’t have his details.
“From the beginning, we have been fighting with the police to do their job. There are cameras on the road when entering Grabouw. We told the officer to obtain footage and he declined. He has been questioning my daughter about how she remembered the vehicle and other details. My daughter deserves justice even if we cannot afford it.”
NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said that the case was provisionally withdrawn as the DNA report was outstanding. He did not say whether the docket contained all relevant information.
“The case will be re-enrolled as soon as the DNA report has been received. In the meantime, the senior public prosecutor of Grabouw Magistrate’s Court will contact the complainant in this matter and discuss any areas of concern on her side and provide her with the status of the case.”
Following the Weekend Argus inquiry about the case, the family met with the senior public prosecutor who updated them about the case. The victim’s mom said she would only get peace when the suspect was rearrested and eventually convicted.
Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi said they wouldn’t respond to the allegations levelled against them, but said the matter would be brought back to court once they had obtained crucial evidence.
“The investigation into the matter was nearing its completion and the investigating officer waited on the results of crucial evidence. The court, however, refused a further remand and provisionally withdrew the matter from the court roll.
“Once the evidence is available, the matter will be discussed with the control prosecutor for a decision to place the matter back onto the court roll.”
Weekend Argus