News / Regional
Beitbridge Border gangs rob, rape at will
06 May 2011 at 04:28hrs | Views
Innocent Murenga (not her real name) left her home in Esigodini near Bulawayo on April 6 for a better life in South Africa.
But the 15 year old's dreams were shattered when she was attacked and raped by up to five men who left her unconscious.
Relating her story to The New Age from the girl's and women's shelter at the Uniting Reformed Church of Southern African branch of Musina on Sunday afternoon, Murenga said she left home with her cousin, Cletor Moyo, and his friends.
"The (rape) happened on the second day of our trek, when we were about to cross the Limpopo River at night," said Murenga.
Speaking through interpreter Julieth Gudo, a secretary at the shelter, Murenga said her attackers demanded money before they attacked them.
"We were about to cross the border from the Zimbabwean side when five guys came and demanded money from us.
"We told them we did not have money and they started attacking us with pangas and sticks."
She said the attackers spoke Ndebele, the language of her home town. But she added she could not be sure of their origin as they spoke the language differently from the Bulawayo way.
Murenga said she could not recall the details of the attack as she regained consciousness at Musina Hospital only the following day. She later learnt that she was brought to the hospital by Moyo, her cousin, who has since moved on to Gauteng.
Murenga was later transferred to Polokwane Provincial Hospital where she was treated for a broken right leg. She was also stitched on her right hand which also sustained serious cuts.
Since she was discharged from hospital on April 27, the traumatised youth has been living at the shelter in Musina.
Murenga, the second born of seven children, lost her mother in 2009. She said she was hoping to raise money from relatives in South Africa so that she and her siblings could pay school fees for the next term. The Grade 10 pupil and her siblings are under the care of their aunt.
"After this incident, I do not know what will happen to my life." Her minder, Gudo, 20, is also from Bulawayo. She said Murenga was brought to the shelter by social workers. "When I first saw her, I was angry. I ask myself what type of people could inflict so much pain on such a young girl," said Gudo.
Ambush crime in the bushes along the Limpopo River is rife. Its perpetrators are opportunistic gangs commonly known as "guma-guma". The gangsters are mostly Zimbabweans who waylay compatriots attempting to cross the border illegally, forcing them to pay "passage fee" or robbing them of money and other valuables. The rape of women and children has also been reported. The guma-guma may also abduct victims for ransom.
Jacob Matakanye, the spokesperson for the shelter, said: "I am tired of this horror happening at the border. Both governments (South Africa and Zimbabwe) are doing nothing about these attacks. They say the crimes happen in no-man's land. Is it then free for all? Who must uphold the rule of law?"
But the 15 year old's dreams were shattered when she was attacked and raped by up to five men who left her unconscious.
Relating her story to The New Age from the girl's and women's shelter at the Uniting Reformed Church of Southern African branch of Musina on Sunday afternoon, Murenga said she left home with her cousin, Cletor Moyo, and his friends.
"The (rape) happened on the second day of our trek, when we were about to cross the Limpopo River at night," said Murenga.
Speaking through interpreter Julieth Gudo, a secretary at the shelter, Murenga said her attackers demanded money before they attacked them.
"We were about to cross the border from the Zimbabwean side when five guys came and demanded money from us.
"We told them we did not have money and they started attacking us with pangas and sticks."
She said the attackers spoke Ndebele, the language of her home town. But she added she could not be sure of their origin as they spoke the language differently from the Bulawayo way.
Murenga said she could not recall the details of the attack as she regained consciousness at Musina Hospital only the following day. She later learnt that she was brought to the hospital by Moyo, her cousin, who has since moved on to Gauteng.
Murenga was later transferred to Polokwane Provincial Hospital where she was treated for a broken right leg. She was also stitched on her right hand which also sustained serious cuts.
Since she was discharged from hospital on April 27, the traumatised youth has been living at the shelter in Musina.
Murenga, the second born of seven children, lost her mother in 2009. She said she was hoping to raise money from relatives in South Africa so that she and her siblings could pay school fees for the next term. The Grade 10 pupil and her siblings are under the care of their aunt.
"After this incident, I do not know what will happen to my life." Her minder, Gudo, 20, is also from Bulawayo. She said Murenga was brought to the shelter by social workers. "When I first saw her, I was angry. I ask myself what type of people could inflict so much pain on such a young girl," said Gudo.
Ambush crime in the bushes along the Limpopo River is rife. Its perpetrators are opportunistic gangs commonly known as "guma-guma". The gangsters are mostly Zimbabweans who waylay compatriots attempting to cross the border illegally, forcing them to pay "passage fee" or robbing them of money and other valuables. The rape of women and children has also been reported. The guma-guma may also abduct victims for ransom.
Jacob Matakanye, the spokesperson for the shelter, said: "I am tired of this horror happening at the border. Both governments (South Africa and Zimbabwe) are doing nothing about these attacks. They say the crimes happen in no-man's land. Is it then free for all? Who must uphold the rule of law?"
Source - TNA
