- Members of a neighbourhood watch in Makhaza have urged the community to be vigilant and stop roaming around at night.
- This after a young woman was allegedly raped on Sunday 3 March.
- The incident had left the community shocked.
Members of a neighbourhood watch in Makhaza have urged the community to be vigilant and stop roaming around at night.
This after a young woman was allegedly raped on Sunday 3 March.
Ezimfeneni informal settlement NHW secretary Ntombiyakhe Ngcasani claimed the woman was raped by a known man on Sunday 3 March at Lower Chris Hani informal settlement. She said the incident had left the community shocked. “We were patrolling around 04:00 when we heard loud music in the area. We went to ask the people who were playing the music to switch it off and go to sleep,” she said.
Ngcasani they later discovered that they went to another shebeen (opposite Ezimfeneni).
“According to the information we received from the victim, one of the men drinking with her and some companions pulled her aside into a dark place and raped her. “It seems the victim was raped, but managed to escape and went home and told her family about the ordeal. Later, when she saw the perpetrator in one of the shacks. She told her family and they caught him, then called the officers and they arrested him.”
Ngcasani urged the community to work with the patrollers to curb crime. She said their biggest challenge was the shebeen owners who did not close at night. “Crime is a problem here because we are not united as a community. There are some shebeen owners who don’t cooperate with the law. They operate illegally. Some of them don’t open during the day, only operating at night.”
Ngcasani added some of the criminals are from neighbouring areas.
Harare Police Station commander Col Thembelani Mahlatshana confirmed a case of rape was opened, but did not divulge a lot of details.