More than 80 in court following gang rape in South Africa

Some 82 people were expected to appear in a South African court yesterday on suspicion of illegal mining, attempted murder, possession of explosives and contravening immigration laws.

Police have said the suspects – most of whom were illegal miners – may also be linked to the gang rape of eight women who were part of a crew filming a music video. That incident occurred last Thursday in Krugersdorp, west of Johannesburg.

The group of 12 women and 10 men said they were attacked while filming a music video at a mine dump. The eight women who were gang raped were aged between 19 and 37.

One of the victims who spoke to a local newspaper alleged that the group of illegal miners, wearing blankets and masks, approached them and fired gunshots in the air.

The victim said one of the elderly suspects then ordered the younger boys to rape the women before robbing them of their belongings.

The incident has shocked South Africa and has sparked renewed calls for chemical castration of convicted rapists.

Some of those arrested may be linked to the gang rape of eight young women. The women were part of a production crew shooting a music video. They were working on site when the attack took place near the mine dump.

A number of suspects were nabbed following the attack, many of them on allegations of illegal mining, possession of explosives, stolen goods, illegal firearms and ammunition as well as contravention of the Immigration Act.

General Khosi Senthumule, who was leading the investigation, said: “We have a team that is established within the forensic to help us expedite the DNA. Because remember these are foreign nationals not all of them would be on our data base.

“So the team is working around the clock. And we believe probably by Friday we can have their DNA. Then we can compare with what was gathered on the scene and on that note we can do our linkages.” – BBC