Two Galeshewe cousins, aged 76 and 79 years old, were raped, assaulted and robbed of an undisclosed amount of money, allegedly by a man who they regarded as their own grandson.
THE SAFETY of the elderly has come under the spotlight after two Galeshewe cousins, aged 76 and 79 years old, were raped, assaulted and robbed of an undisclosed amount of money, allegedly by a man who they regarded as their own grandson.
Following the incident that took place in the early hours of Monday morning, the 23-year-old suspect has been on the run and, according to the police, is being sought by the Galeshewe Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) unit.
The suspect gained entry into the 79-year-old woman’s house after knocking on her window and asking for assistance with his ailing grandmother who, he said, was not moving.
The 76-year-old woman was visiting her older cousin at the time of the incident.
Still groaning in pain, the 79-year-old woman, who owns the Galeshewe house where the incident happened, shared her traumatic ordeal with the DFA yesterday, explaining that she was the one who opened the kitchen door to assist the suspect, without suspecting anything untoward.
“Little did we know that he was armed and that he would strip us of our dignity like this,” said the woman, who added that the perpetrator kissed them before leaving.
“My cousin, who was visiting me, was inside the house and I was about to go outside to see what he wanted, when he blocked my way, pushed me back inside and pulled out a knife.
“He demanded money and I asked him whether he was serious, which angered him further. We do not have money and he held the knife to my neck,” the visibly upset 79-year-old said.
She added that she started wrestling with the young suspect, resulting in him assaulting her and cutting her hands in the process.
While she was being assaulted, her cousin pulled out some money and handed it to the suspect in the hope that he would leave them alone.
“He took the money and ordered us to lie on top of each other on the bed and raped us in turn … my cousin first, then me.”
According to the woman, the suspect then demanded more money from her and she responded once more that she had none.
“He then kissed us both on the lips and left.”
The traumatised granny is currently seeking refuge at a relative’s home as she is afraid because the man has not yet been arrested.
Blue bruises were still visible on her body and face yesterday, while her hands were bandaged and covered in stitches. She said that she also found it difficult and painful to sit.
“He (the alleged attacker) stays just around the corner and grew up in front of me. I even regarded him as my own grandson because he was raised by his now ailing grandmother, who is my friend,” she revealed sadly.
Angry family members of the two women yesterday called on the police to “pull out all the stops” to catch the rapist.
It was rumoured yesterday that the suspect has previous convictions for rape and and murder is currently out on parole.
Several people have pictures of him in orange Correctional Services overalls, but the police indicated that they could not confirm the rumours.
It is also believed that he has fled to another province.
“He must be found, arrested and have the key thrown away as he has shown disrespect of the highest level. This is a public disgrace,” said the victim’s daughter-in-law.
“It hurts to see my mother, who I know as a strong person, suffer like this. It just shows how unsafe our elderly are in our society as even the neighbours say they did not hear anything.”
The spokesperson for the Galeshewe police, Captain Bashoabile Kale, said yesterday that the Galeshewe FCS unit was investigating a case of rape and robbery that occurred on Monday morning at around 1am in Galeshewe.
“It is alleged that a 23-year-old man knocked on the door of the two elderly women’s house and requested their assistance with his ailing grandmother who was not moving. The two elderly women, aged 79 and 76 years old, opened the door and the suspect, who was armed with a knife, entered. He demanded money and an undisclosed amount of money was then handed to him. The suspect then raped the victims and fled the scene,” said Kale.
“Detective Sergeant Bonolo Masao of the Galeshewe Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit is investigating the case and we plead with the public for information regarding the whereabouts of the suspect.”
Anyone with information can contact Detective Sergeant Masao on 053 8076 000 or call 10111.
