Durban - A jogger who was brutally raped just metres from a main road in Howick at the weekend is returning to Johannesburg.
The businesswoman has spent five days recuperating since her ordeal. She was pulled from the road while on a morning run and raped in a ditch at knife point.
South African Community Action Network head Brian Jones confirmed that the 37-year-old victim, an accomplished business professional, was returning to her home in Johannesburg.
“She is so strong and after giving several statements to the police and spending time surrounded by her family, she will be returning to her home in Johannesburg. It will still be a fair amount of time before she returns to work,” he said.
No arrests have yet been made in the case.
Jones said that this incident should be viewed as a test case.
"We often hear that rape victims should speak out and I think that that is sometimes misinterpreted. As a victim, you can speak to someone who you can trust and maintain your dignity, speaking out per say does not mean you will be named," he said.
Community shaken
The incident has shaken the close knit community of Howick to its core, and cast doubt over the safety of the Curry’s Post area, a popular spot for trail runners and cyclists.
Earlier News24 had reported that the woman had been visiting her parents in Howick for a long weekend when she had gone for a morning run.
Jones said: “She goes running every day and decided to go for a hill run up the Curry’s Post Road. She ran to the Tweedie turn-off and then turned back and when she was less than 500 metres from Main Road, she was rugby tackled into a ditch by a man,” he said.
“He held her arms and upper body while pulling her into the thick long grass on the side of the road. This was done by a criminal who is a predator by nature and who was absolutely calculating,” Jones added.
He said that throughout the rape, the woman could see the traffic passing on the main arterial road while in the ditch, which is hidden from view by long grass.
“Whether she had pepper spray or a gun; nothing would have made a difference. She thought she was going to die and she complied and did everything he demanded so she could save her life."
Jones said the investigation into the rape was progressing at a steady pace.
