Gospel singer's wife raped

2010-02-10 08:01

Hilda Fourie

Pretoria - A well-known gospel singer's wife was raped early on Tuesday morning on the top floor of the family's home in a security complex in Centurion while her helpless husband was tied up downstairs.

After she was raped, the gang leader apologised to the victim for what happened to her "because we don't do rape".

Police spokesperson Colette Weilbach said on Tuesday the gang leader had told the woman that her rapist was new to the gang and that he (the leader) "had already reprimanded him".

According to Weilbach, the singer was busy working at about 02:15 on the bottom floor of their house while his wife and three young children were sleeping on the top floor.

Overpowered

Four criminals got in through an open window, overpowered the singer, pointed a weapon at him and tied him up.

One of the men went to the main bedroom on the top floor where he raped the singer's wife.

It was after this that the gang leader apologised to her.

Weilbach said the men robbed the singer of his computer and cellphones and loaded them into his car.

They bundled him into the car and forced him to drive out past the boom of the security complex, which was manned by security guards.

The singer greeted the security guards before they opened the boom for him, said Weilbach.

The gang dropped the singer off at the St George's hotel, after which he had to walk home.

Hospitalised

The couple's children slept through the whole incident.

The names of the singer and his family were being withheld to protect their identities.

Weilbach said the car was found abandoned at about 15:00 on Tuesday next to the road in Tembisa on the East Rand by members of the Pretoria flying squad.

A case of rape and house robbery was being investigated. No-one had been arrested by late Tuesday night.

According to Beeld, the singer's wife was admitted to a local hospital after the incident, but was released on Tuesday evening.

- Beeld