Two University of Pretoria students were arrested on Thursday in connection with the alleged gang rape of an 18-year-old woman in their hostel a week ago, the institution announced.
A third man was believed to have handed himself over to police on Thursday, and a fourth was said to be on his way to do so, said university spokesperson Edwin Smith. It was not immediately clear if they were also students.
He said the woman, a matric pupil, alleges to have met one of her assailants at a nightclub in Hatfield in the early morning hours of Thursday last week.
He allegedly undertook to drop her off at home, but stopped at his university residence, Maroela, on the way.
The woman was allegedly raped by several men as a number of others looked on, Smith said.
Describing it as an ”absolutely awful experience”, he said the university has already issued letters notifying the two students of their suspension from the university pending the outcome of an internal disciplinary inquiry.
Should other students be implicated, they too would be suspended.
The university said in a statement it would launch an investigation at Maroela residence into the cause of the alleged incident.
”It is not only one or two students alleged to have been involved, but a number of them to a greater or lesser extent,” Smith said. ”We are looking to understand how and why this could have happened, why nobody reported it, and what we can do to ensure there is no repeat.”
The university said it had provided support to the victim and her family — convincing them to lay a criminal charge. It has also pledged continued assistance, such as the provision of counselling.
The university understood that she was given anti-retroviral treatment after the rape, Smith said.
Pretoria police confirmed the incident, saying they were preparing a detailed statement. — Sapa