- A man was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly kidnapping and raping a 35-year-old hawker.
- The woman and her daughter, 16, sold peanuts along the road.
- The man allegedly tried to extort R1 000 from the woman's husband for the return of his wife.
A 23-year-old man has been arrested in Johannesburg for allegedly raping a 35-year-old hawker in bushes after luring her with the promise of a job.
The suspect is also accused of trying to extort R1 000 from the woman's husband.
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The arrest was made by Gauteng police in conjunction with Highway Patrol officers.
The woman and her 16-year-old daughter were lured into bushes. The teenager managed to flee but her mother was not that lucky.
Johannesburg Central police spokesperson Captain Xoli Mbele said the woman and her daughter were selling peanuts along Rosettenville Road when a man approached them and told them that cleaners were needed at his workplace.
Mbele said:
When the victim and her daughter tried to escape, the man grabbed them by their clothes, Mbele added.
The daughter, however, found a way to run away.
According to Mbele, the man threatened and raped the woman in bushes.
The woman's daughter saw a police vehicle, alerted the officers to what had happened and directed them to the bushes.
"The police heard a woman screaming and came to her rescue. The suspect was found busy on the phone speaking to the husband of the victim and demanding R1 000 if he still wanted to see his wife," said Mbele.
He has been arrested and will appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court soon.
The investigation into the matter was still under way, said Mbele.
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