Local police spokesman Leonard Hlathi told newsmen on Wednesday that the woman, who was in the third month of her pregnancy, was raped at knife point.
“She was rape in front of her young child after she hitched a lift with two men in eastern Mpumalanga province. “One of the men forcefully raped her at
knife point in front of her child,’’ a police statement read. The crime occurred on Monday. “The woman managed to bite the private part of the man, who ran away after the ordeal,’’ it added. Police, however, appealed to all health institutions to contact the authorities if they find a man with “an injured private part.”
The police also put out a tweet on their official account calling for information on the case. Hlathi told newsmen that in spite of his bad injuries, the man had managed to flee. “It is not the first time that men bitten on the genitals have managed to escape,’’ she said. He said that the woman is being treated by a psychologist, and noted that in South Africa “sexual offense cases are high.” South African police recorded a total of 39,828 rapes in 2016 to 2017, an average of around 109 per day. However, the figures may be even higher, with think tank Africa Check warning that rape may be under-reported.