Delay in rape report 'common'
2005-11-23 08:24
Johannesburg - A woman's delayed reporting of the alleged rape by ousted deputy president Jacob Zuma was "exceptionally common" when the perpetrator was an acquaintance, The Citizen newspaper reported on Wednesday.
"Her behaviour fits the pattern," the newspaper quoted anti-rape activist Charlene Smith - who has survived a rape, and delivered numerous academic papers on rape and sex crimes - as saying.
"When people are raped by someone close to them, it takes years for them to summon up the courage for them to report the attack."
The Citizen reported the alleged victim had lived in the extended Zuma household since the age of 11.
Smith reportedly said that the rape case wouldn't turn on whether Zuma's DNA is found on the woman's clothing.
"The case will turn on her word against his. The defence will have to try to show that her word is not to be believed while his is. This is so often the case in rape cases involving the powerful."
The claim of rape, which allegedly took place in Johannesburg recently, has been described as part of a smear campaign to discredit Zuma, the newspaper said.
According to the Sunday Times, the woman reported the alleged rape two days after the incident took place on Wednesday November 9, when a doctor who examined her persuaded her to do so.
- SAPA