Police Arrest 4 Men & a Teen Boy for the Sexual Assault of a 48-Year-Old Woman, 3 Still on the Run

• Seven men raped a 48-year-old woman from Mhluzi in Middleburg over the weekend
• Mpumalanga police have arrested four men in connection to the crime so far, and the youngest suspect is 17 years old
• South Africans are outraged by the horrific assault of the woman, and some have suggested taking to the streets in protest

MIDDLEBURG - The police in Mpumalanga have arrested four out of seven men who brutally gang-raped a 48-year-old woman in Mhluzi, Middleburg, on Saturday, 1 October.

The woman was on her way home after walking a relative when a group of men in a bakkie accosted her and dragged her to a nearby room. The men then took turns sexually assaulting her.

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Mpumalanga police spokesperson Colonel Donald Mdhluli stated the assault occurred from 11pm on Saturday until 5am on Sunday, 2 October, reports News24.

Mdhluli added that at around 5am another man believed to reside in the room where the woman was being assaulted returned home from work and kicked out the other men. He allegedly also raped her before fleeing the scene.

Police managed to arrest four suspects, aged between 17 and 24, on Monday, 3 October. According to SowetanLIVE, the suspects will appear at the Middleburg Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, 11 October.

The police are still on the hunt for the other three suspects.

"The men and women in blue are still in pursuit of the remaining suspects," Mdhluli said.

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South Africans react

South Africans are at a loss for words about the horrific gang-rape of a 48-year-old woman. Some people believe there should be public outrage in the form of a protest, while others feel sympathy for the woman.

Here are some comments:

@BonoloAnne said:

"An Iranian woman was killed, and the Iran citizens protested for 8nights till their government heard them. Until we take our voices to the streets, these kinds of crimes will continue to increase. Kore, I'm disgusted by the age category, a 17yr being part of such a barbaric act"

@lethamaga said:

"Honestly, at this point, such people should be handed over to the community and dealt with accordingly."

@StraightupGal said:

"What's baffling is when Bheki says rape cases have decreased yet everyday we hear this appalling violation of women. I pray this woman finds the justice and healing after this whole thing, may God be with her."

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@Lee43752139 said:

"I can't imagine what she is going through, and after all of this, there will be people asking her questions like, "did you know one of them... Wena, what did you do... What were you wearing" Stories like these are the reason I get such Anxiety when I pass by a group of men"

@JabulanoG said:

"I thought Greater Middleburg as a whole was a place of peace and sophistication. How wrong I was!"

@LML_8888

"If there are no consequences and no one to enforce the law this is the result. This is really bad, when people are supposed to help but then join in, that's when you know all is lost."

Missing elderly Soweto jogger found dead in dilapidated toilet with evidence of sexual assault

Briefly News previously reported that the body of a missing elderly jogger was found in a dilapidated toilet at Shap Stadium in Mofolo Park, Soweto, on Sunday, 2 October.

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Shirley Mtiyane was an avid runner who was reported missing by her family when the 67-year-old runner didn't return from her routine jog on Thursday 29, September. The community banded together to find Mtiyane when the news of her disappearance spread.

However, her family never expected their beloved aunt would be found crammed into a toilet with bruises on her body and evidence of a sexual assault.

Source: Briefly News