Rapist: 'It's only sex'

2008-04-24 10:33

Magdel Fourie

Johannesburg - With his younger brother lying right next to them on a mattress, a young man raped an American girl in his parents' home in Soweto during her visit to South Africa.

This was according to the girl, now 15, when testifying in the Johannesburg Supreme Court on Wednesday after she specially arrived in the country on Friday to testify against Stanley Mabona, 21.

In a light pink sweater, she testified as a minor from a nearby room on closed circuit television screen before Judge George Maluleke.

Mabone is accused of robbery under aggravating circumstances, kidnapping and rape after the girl was kidnapped and raped on her way home from a party in Pimville on June 23 last year.

'I don't want to do this'

It was the girl's second evening in South Africa after she arrived on an exchange learning programme arranged by her mosque to talk to people on how to overcome HIV/Aids, she said on Wednesday.

She and the three children - two sisters and one brother - of her host family in Soweto where she and a friend were staying, sneaked from the house without her host parents knowing, to attend the party.

At the party, which was held on the home owners' lawn, she, the brother and four friends were chatting and "showing one another how Americans and South Africans respectively dance," she testified.

Later on the host mother telephoned her son and demanded that they return home immediately.

On their way home two men, one of whom was armed, approached them.

They were then robbed of their cellphones and money, she testified.

'You won't get pregnant'

The one armed man suddenly grabbed her and pulled her along with him and his friend.

"Where are you taking her?" one of the men asked the other, and was told bluntly in English: "Don't worry, this is only sex," she said.

Shortly afterwards the friend left them and only she and the armed man went to the nearby veld.

Along the way, she protesting heavily.

"I am only 14 years old and am still a virgin. I don't want to do this," she told him according to her testimony.

"I don't want to fall pregnant and I don't want to pick up a disease," she added worriedly.

To which replied: "Don't worry, you won't get pregnant."

She then became frightened and began crying, after which he kissed her and ordered her to take off her clothes.

When she refused he again took out his firearm and asked: "Do you want to die then?"

She then pulled down her pants and underwear and he raped her on the ground in the veld.

With her whole body aching he then told her he wanted to take her "for a second round" to his parents' home.

There he raped her again, with his younger brother lying underneath a blanket on the mattress next to his, she said. "This is only my stupid younger brother, don't worry", the man reassured her because the little boy could hear everything.

She will continue testifying further on Friday.

- Beeld