A traumatised woman has told of her night of terror as she was abducted, held hostage and gang-raped for hours by a group of men in a Port Elizabeth sports clubhouse while slipping in and out of consciousness.
The 29-year-old victim’s horrific 14-hour rape ordeal has left her so badly battered and in such a state of shock that she cannot recall how many men were involved.
The victim, whose identity cannot be revealed due to the nature of the crime, was abducted and a gun put to her head while she was walking down Highfield Road at about 6pm on Monday.
An unknown number of assailants covered her head with a blanket and forced her into a vehicle.
The gang then drove the woman to a rundown soccer clubhouse in Gelvan Park, 2km away at the corner of Amazon and Olympia streets.
In an interview yesterday, the victim cried uncontrollably while struggling to make sense of what happened to her.
She was abducted after storming out of a house following an altercation with her older sister shortly before 6pm.
“I went to walk to clear my head. I was walking towards Fourth Avenue in Highfield Road when someone put a gun to my head from behind,” she said.
“They put something over my head so I couldn’t see anything [and] pulled me into some vehicle. I could feel the gun. “They took me to a place where they put a sock in my mouth and tied my hands and legs together.”
“I don’t know how many of them there were. “They raped me for hours.”
“I was in and out of consciousness. I can hardly remember anything or even remember what they said to me.”
She said the building’s windows and doors were broken.
“I remember it was dark outside and I was screaming, but no one could hear me. “Then I came around and had a blanket over my body. I managed to pull the sock out my mouth and scream for help. No one heard me for a long time, but eventually someone came.”
She was taken to Dora Nginza Hospital for treatment and was released late on Tuesday.
The woman’s 37-year-old sister said the family was shocked.
“My sister has been sleeping and can barely walk. I am so angry. We want answers and we want justice.”
The only things stolen were the woman’s shoes and pants. Police spokesman Warrant Officer Alwin Labans said officers were still busy gathering evidence.
He dispelled speculation the attack could be linked to gangsters operating in the area.
The motive for the attack remains unknown and no arrests have been made.
Two weeks ago, an NMMU student was raped, beaten with a pole and left for dead in bushes near Schoenmakerskop.
Her ordeal bears chilling similarities to the kidnapping, rape and attempted murder of Alison Botha 22 years ago.
No arrests have been made in the case.
Two months earlier, qualified medic and NMMU student Thabani Ngwekazi, 28, was killed and his 21-year-old friend raped when they were hijacked.
Three suspects believed to have been involved with Ngwekazi’s murder were arrested within weeks of the incident.
