This archive report was first published on 1 July 2020.
Triple Rape Horror in South Africa ¶
A grandmother's life was cut short after she witnessed the brutal rape of her three granddaughters in their home in Impendle, South Africa.
According to police, the 71-year-old woman was held at gunpoint by an intruder who broke into her home and locked the three sisters, aged 19, 22, and 25, in their bedroom.
The suspect then dragged the women out one by one and raped them in the property, leaving the grandmother in a state of shock.
Police believe the trauma of witnessing the ordeal caused her heart to give out, leading to her death.
Family spokesperson Mzandwile Ndlovu said: 'The suspect had locked the three girls in their grandmother's room and he brought them out one-by-one and raped them.'
South African police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala appealed for witnesses to come forward, saying: 'A 71-year-old woman who witnessed the incident collapsed and died.'
The incident is the latest in a string of horrific attacks on women and children in South Africa, with President Cyril Ramaphosa describing the surge in violence as 'dark and shameful' for the nation.
Since the ban on alcohol was lifted, there have been numerous reports of attacks on women, including the murder of heavily pregnant Tshegofatso Pule, 28, who was found stabbed repeatedly in the chest and hanging by her neck from a rope in a tree in Johannesburg.
Statistics show that a woman is murdered in South Africa on average every three hours.
