DURBAN- KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Social Development, Nonhlanhla Khoza has strongly condemned the gang rape of a senior citizen at Amaoti, north of Durban.
A statement released by the MEC on Friday said the woman died at the police station when she went to report her ordeal last Wednesday.
The statement further alleged that the perpetrators had previously sexually assaulted the dead.
Khoza pleaded with the community to work with the police to ensure that the perpetrators were held accountable for their actions.
“It is disheartening that we have youth who rape in our communities and they are known, but we fail to report them to the police. We want to see police conducting an investigation into the death of this senior citizen and ensure that the perpetrators get arrested,” she said.
“Cases of violence against women and children are far too many and need us as a society to take full responsibility to fight them,” she said.
She added that it was heartbreaking that the area had experienced the deaths of three women as a result of violent men, in the past few weeks.
In another incident, a woman was allegedly killed by her boyfriend on New Year’s Day and police found the man cutting her stomach open. The suspect was then shot dead after allegedly attempting to attack a police officer.
On Christmas Day, a mother of seven was allegedly murdered by their father.
Khoza said it was difficult to comprehend how the father was still not behind bars.
Khoza said the department had dispatched teams of social workers to the three bereaved families.
THE MERCURY