Pinned down by a man with his hands pressed into her neck, raped, stabbed and screaming but with no one coming to help her, a Philippi woman said she endured this from the same man accused of raping and murdering a 17-year-old teen last month.
Sitting on the bed of her Thembisa home last Thursday, Nomathamsanqa Mufadu said she decided to speak out about her horrific ordeal at the hands of a man she alleges is the one accused of raping and murdering Amahle Quku, also from Philippi.
She said it was in October 2019 in the Siyahlala informal settlement where she first met the man. They were all young people having fun at a friend’s place.
“He introduced himself. He had dreadlocks then. But I did not want to speak to him. Later in the day we met again.
“He was with his friends. They came to my boyfriend’s shack where we had fun again,” she recalled. But she said the man was “very quiet” and not drinking while others were drinking. This was met with surprise by those who gathered there.
She then went to the shop to buy a drink. Little did she know that she was being followed.
“I heard a voice calling me, immediately grabbing me, pinning me down, raping and stabbing me. I screamed for help.
“But I managed to overpower him… I tried to run but I kept tripping because my trousers and my underwear hanging down my legs were like tackling me.
“I kept falling. He was stabbing me at the time,” she recalled, showing her body full of old stab wounds. She said she managed to flee and sought help. She was taken to the Mitchell’s Plain District Hospital where she spent days recovering.
Reliving the harrowing experience, she insisted that her rapist is the same man accused of raping Amahle. She believes had she reported the matter, Amahle might not be dead.
“My mind slept because I was in pain. But I am positive he was the one who raped and stabbed me. But another confusion that made me not report the case was that somebody came and introduced himself as a detective.
“He promised that they will deal with the case. But after I was discharged, I failed to do a follow-up but still hoping the man (detective) will come back,” she said.
She urged all victims of rape to come forward and report the perpetrators.
“Had I reported the matter then, Amahle could have been alive.
“Who knows, maybe there are more of his victims out there. If any, please speak out so that justice can be served for all the women who are victims of rape,” she appealed.
She has opened a case at the Nyanga police station.
Nyanga police station spokesperson, Captain Ntomboxolo Sitshitshi, confirmed the case.
“This office can confirm that a 25-year-old woman reported a case of rape on Wednesday June 24, 2020 which was allegedly committed on October 26, 2019.
“The investigation led to the arrest of a 24-year-old suspect who was in custody on a murder charge.
“The suspect is scheduled to appear in Wynberg Magistrate’s Court during next week,” Captain Sitshitshi said.