Groped teen tells of rape fear
VICTIMISED: One of the young women who was harassed by a group of men near the Noord Taxi rank. Picture: Paballo Thekiso
Noni Mokati
‘had I been wearing only underwear they would probably have raped me over and over again. That’s how disgusting they were.”
These were the words of the young woman who has become known as the Noord taxi rank victim Nomthandazo, 18, whose surname has been withheld to protect her identity.
Clad in a black mini sleeveless dress with matching strap sandals, the Grade 12 pupil told the Saturday Star this week that she and her friend Zama, 19, were still perturbed about the incident on December 30 when they were groped and harassed by a group of howling and salivating men near the infamous taxi rank.
“everything happened so fast. There were many of them. they chanted songs, laughed while taking pictures of us with their cellphones,” Nomthandazo said.
“I asked them what their problem was but none of them answered. they just kept following us. We still don’t understand what got them so excited. Many women wear short skirts in the CBD,” she said.
Nomthandazo said she and Zama were going from one store to another looking for a dress when the incident took place.
“We couldn’t find the dress, so we decided to go to Carlton Centre hoping we would find something there,” she said.
No sooner had they stepped out of the shop, than they were greeted by a group of 60 or 70 men.
“they followed us. We couldn’t make out what they were singing. but I could see from their actions what their intentions were,” Nomthandazo said.
The incident, which was caught on a CCTV camera, has been criticised by various sectors, including Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane.
Nomthandazo said the faster they walked, the faster the men followed them so the teens eventually slowed down.
Nomthandazo said that while she and Zama were walking along the corner of Twist and Bok streets one of the men pulled down Zama’s shirt exposing her bra.
“She (Zama) pulled it back up but another one rushed towards her and pulled it down again taunting her,” she said.
While the other men harassed Zama, the others groped Nomthandazo.
“they wanted to pull my dress up but I fought back. I wasn’t going to let them win,” she said.
While Nomthandazo was fighting her tormentors, other men walked behind her, trying to pull her dress up.
She and Zama later ran into a shop to buy tights but couldn’t find them.
She said the men continued to follow them but were prevented by the shop owner from coming in.
“they howled at us and looked through the shop’s windows. they seemed mad.”
“The shop owner told us to stay inside but it was getting late and we wanted to go home.”
Nomthandazo said apart from a woman who offered her a shawl to cover her, no one helped them.
“Men and women just stood watching… no one bothered to help… ,” she said.
They teenagers were rescued by the metro police almost half an hour later.
Nomthandazo said some of the men dispersed when the police used pepper spray but they still came back.
“The police took me in a van and left Zama behind. I was worried about her but was told that she had been kept at a nearby hair salon.”
Even then, Nomthandazo said the men still stood there, pounding at the windows of the salon. “I don’t know what they wanted from us.”
Asked if she cried during the incident, Nomthandazo replied: “no. I was busy fighting I also had to help Zama. There was no time for crying.”
She admitted, though, that the incident made her angry.
“How dare they treat us like that? I thought this was a democratic country and I was free to wear whatever I like.”
The two have since laid a charge of intimidation and harassment at the Joburg central police station.
The police said they were still investigating and that no arrests had been made.
Nomthandazo said she could not point out all the men except for one of them who wore a Kaizer Chiefs shirt as seen in the CCTV video clip.
“I’m definitely pointing him out. I remember him.”
She wants justice to prevail.
But the trauma of being harassed doesn’t seem to have scared the young women.
“why should we lock ourselves in the house when they (the men) carry on with their lives. I always wear shorts and mini skirts. why should I stop now. why should I be threatened by a group of barbaric men who are old enough to be our fathers?”
Meanwhile, Nomthandazo hopes to pass her matric at the end of the year and continue with her dream of becoming as an actress. She also wants to meet Nwabisa Ngcukana who was subjected to a similar attack four years ago.
