CRIME BEAT: SCARY EXCHANGE IN SOUTH AFRICA

Crime Beat travels to that vast continent, Afica, for its uncomfortable, disconcerting tale this episode. Once entitled “the Dark Continent” by seemingly shallow travellers and adventurers from Europe, it is today far removed from such inapt descriptions. Yet, as with other parts of the world, it is inhabited by humans, and humans sometimes produce individuals capable of great injury and insensitivity toward others. In our case today, we will relate just such a scary experience, which was endured by a seventeen-year old from Belgium.

Parenthetically, for those new to “Crime Beat” this is a blog inspired by the old crime magazines, which focused upon and related gristly crimes committed and subsequently solved. True, occasionally the stories involved crimes which were still unsolved. This increased public interest as well as wariness, as they pondered the fact that the villain was still OUT THERE.

Let us now share our story which was first aired in America (possibly the ONLY airing by media) by the tabloid, The Truth At Last (“TTAL”). It originally was printed in the South African Citizen in a story written by Sandra Lieberum. Because it is common in America, same may think it’s too pedestrian for Crime Beat to devote an episode to it. However, we believe that it presents vicarious learning experience, which may lessen misadventures culminating in crime, for those who are attentive. Consider:

“PALE, petite and wide-eyed, with her long hair tied up, a foreign exchange student told the Johannesburg High Court yesterday of her painful first experience of sex.

“She was held down by laughing men during a triple rape 10 days after arriving in South Africa.

” ‘I remembered the story told that in Africa it was believed if a person slept with a virgin, the person would be healed of illness.’

“She had been a virgin on the night of August 13-14 last year, when she attended a 21st birthday party in a marquee in the street with her ‘host sister’ and others.

“Her last HIV/Aids test, which was negative, was only a week ago.

“Five men are on trial for kidnapping, aggravated robbbery and three counts of rape.

“Wandile Dondolo, Moeketsi Mokoena, Sibusisi Mkhize, Xolani Letuke and Mandla Dlamini have denied five charges.

“Stephen Themba, for Xolani Letuke, told the court Letuke would claim he had consensual sex with the exchange student after they had smoked dagga.

“‘I’ve never smoked dagga in my whole life,’ the victim told the court.

“She had attended the party conservatively dressed, wearing jeans, a top and a jersey.

“Regarding alcohol the student said: ‘I tasted two drinks but didn’t finish them.’

“She testified that at about midnight she was walking back from the toilet when two men grabbed her and pushed her against the wall. They said: ‘If you scream, we are going to kill you.’

“‘They took me through the fields. I tried to scream a few times,’

“She was dragged into a house.

“‘I was trying to deny it to myself, but it was quite clear they wanted to rape me.’

“She was dragged into a room furnished with a large blanket-covered bed.

“‘The one was holding me down and the other was pulling my shoes and my pants’ (jeans).

“She begged and screamed  ‘but they didn’t listen.’

“The first rape occurred, ‘It was very painful, very much.’

“‘He said ‘I’m finished’, and I looked up and standing in the corner were three more people.’

“‘Then one of those guys who had been standing in the corner goyt on top of me. More people were now holding me down, and they were making jokes between them.’

“They were laughing.’

“While being raped by the second attacker, people removed her three rings, a bracelet, wristwatch, earrings, nose rings and also took her cellphone and R80 in cash,”

This seems to be an opportunistic crime which is as common today in America as it is in the actual scene of the crime. Any misleading word or gesture can invite such “attacks.” What seems to be items of small value to one person may seem to be opulence to a quite different person. In crimes against persons all too often the victim unknowingly contributes to the realization of the event. Where people are from distinctly different cultures, misapprehensions regarding another are more likely. Even a “nose ring” may be misinterpreted. Was it too erotic to the South Africans?

In these kinds of crimes people must weigh their desire to be unrestrained by fear, on the one hand, and a sound perception of the reality of pain and suffering, as well as the finality of death, on the other, before “setting one’s course” for a destination the nature of which cannot be certainly known. For today any place can become a minature “dark continent.” Thought and preparation are therefore preconditions to that first step into what is hoped to be a “good night.”

Downnlaced, 2008.