Two men, who allegedly raped a domestic worker on a construction site, will appear in court this morning after they were caught by wakker neighbourhood watch patrollers.
The dramatic arrest saw members of the Pinati Estate Neighbourhood Watch chase one of the suspects through the streets of Hanover Park on Friday morning.
A 45-year-old patroller, who asked not to be named, says shortly before 8am, he came out of his home and saw the two men after they tried to rob a school child on a veldjie in Toplen Road, but the child managed to run away.
“What they do is they hide behind the (building) rubble left here,” says the patroller.
“I went inside to put on takkies and get my radio and called for assistance to tell the other patrollers people were being robbed here.”
He says while walking towards the veldjie, he spotted one suspect coming from the building site.
He found the second suspect with the woman and confronted him.
“I asked if he robbed her, but all she could say was ‘that one’, referring to the suspect who had just walked out.
“Someone came by with a bakkie and we chased him into Hanover Park.
“He tried to hide in Donegal Court, but the residents did not know him so he ran.”
When they cornered the suspect, they found him in possession of the 25-year-old woman’s handbag and took him back to Pinati Estate where the second suspect was being kept on the scene.
Zain Allie of the Pinati Estate NHW says it was only then revealed that the two men had raped the young mother from Samora Machel who works as a domestic worker in the area.
“She told us that the one who ran away had raped her while the second suspect held scissors to her neck to keep her from shouting. She was very traumatised.”
Police spokesperson Colonel Andrè Traut confirms the arrest and says the two men will appear on rape charges at Wynberg Magistrates’ Court today.
Ward councillor Magedien Davids says the shocked community will be protesting at court this morning, calling for bail to be denied.