An American exchange student from California was raped in the early hours of Tuesday morning in a women’s residence at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
A source who also stays at the residence said that the woman was on her way to the showers at about 1.30am when an unidentified man stole up behind her and hit her on the head. The man then raped her, said the source, who prefers to remain anonymous.
According to the source, the university’s security service provider, Risk Management Services (RMS), arrived half-an-hour later, and police officers and an ambulance arrived at 3pm.
The woman was taken to the King Edward Hospital for treatment, but hospital staff apparently informed the woman that they could not treat her until she had made a statement to the police.
South African Police Service spokesperson Superintendent Vincent Mdunge confirmed that the incident occurred at about 1.30am.
”The 21-year-old woman got up in the early morning to go to the ladies’ and then to shower. She was approached by the suspect from behind and was then sexually abused and raped. She was too traumatised and shocked to report the incident, but told a friend who reported it to the campus security.
”RMS called for an ambulance and the police station was alerted. She was seriously traumatised and could not speak and was therefore taken to King Edward Hospital first in the company of the police and a security officer. A woman officer was called in due to the trauma of the victim.”
Mdunge said that police from the local criminal record centre revisited the scene of the crime to collect forensic material and to ”kick-start the investigation”.
Professor Dasarath Chetty, the university’s vice-chancellor for corporate communication, said that the university was extremely concerned at the ”unacceptable incident, and we are investigating the case together with the South African Police Service in an attempt to apprehend the perpetrator and to understand how he was able to enter a normally secure residence”.
Counselling services are being provided by the university for the victim.