A group of up to 80 men ambushed the cast and crew who had gathered for the shooting of a gospel music video in South Africa and raped eight models at gunpoint. The production team was reportedly offloading equipment and setting up shop at an abandoned mine on the outskirts of Krugersdorp, when the armed gang attacked. The location is a small town near Johannesburg.
The gang reportedly forced their way into the video shoot and raped eight of the cast members aged 18 to 35. A crew of 22 people – 12 women and 10 men – were filming a music video when they were attacked by a group of armed men dressed in blankets, according to the report by the Commissioner of Police for Gauteng province Lt. Gen. Elias Mawela.
The Washington Post, reporting the news, said that there were about 80 men, who ordered everyone to lie on the ground before raping eight of the women and robbing them of their belongings before fleeing the scene. The men also stole the crew’s video equipment. Police are reportedly looking into 32 counts of rape. While launching a massive manhunt for the rape gang in the wilds, police arrested 65 other illegal miners in the area for suspected immigration violations.
CPF member at Westvillage, Nicolene Trom tells Police Minister #BhekiCele that women and children in the area are under siege. This after 8 women were gang raped during a music video shoot.
"This is a norm to us, we know of 20 men who raped one woman"- Trom pic.twitter.com/xw3ua1PfbI
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) July 29, 2022
A 19-year-old victim stated said she lied to her attacker saying that she had suffered a miscarriage in a bid to avoid further abuse. She also reported that there were other girls who were raped by as many as six men and some by more. Some were raped in ditches, others in front of everybody. The girls’ ordeal lasted for four hours.
Laboratory studies of DNA samples from victims will be used to identify their perpetrators. Some of those arrested are expected to face additional charges such as illegal immigration and illegal mining.
According to a resident of Krugersdorp’s West Village, the attack was not unexpected. Residents have long been terrorized, and hear gunshots at night. Previously, women were raped and dragged into the bush by these Zama Zama’s (people who illegally exploit mines).
The recent attack has infuriated the community and women’s organizations and fueled an ongoing debate about whether rapists should be subjected to chemical castration. At a press conference, President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that he had directed the police minister to ensure that the perpetrators were “apprehended and dealt with.”
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