Women in the poor and deeply rural Eastern Cape face an impossible choice offered by merciless criminals: pay us or we’ll rape you.
And even if they pay up, in many cases they are raped anyway.
In Mqhekezweni village and neighbouring Bityi, the Oonontwayibonwa (the balaclava-clad gang) has for years terrorised the community, raping women and children, robbing homes, stealing livestock and murdering people.
Some women abandoned their homes to escape the horror.
Since 2021, at least seven Mqhekezweni families have left after mothers and children were attacked in their homes.
In one case, a mother, daughter and granddaughter were all raped in one night.
A high school pupil was allegedly gang-raped on Wednesday night and a 62-year-old woman assaulted. Police confirmed the attack.
“Four men kicked open the door ... They wore balaclavas. They asked for money but I had none,” the elderly woman said.
“They assaulted me with sticks and kicked open the door of the room where the child renting in my house was sleeping. They gang-raped her. Afterwards, they stole our cellphones.”
Ward committee and Mqhekezweni Traditional Council member Phathiswa Mtirara said a 72-old man was assaulted and injured when the gang attacked his house.
“In one night there were three homesteads attacked. Each time the culprits attack they demand money. Women here are under siege,” Mtirara said.
On Monday, armed men robbed five schoolgirls and boys at the home where a 14-year-old girl was raped last year.
“Four men kicked open the door ... They wore balaclavas. They asked for money but I had none .They assaulted me with sticks and kicked open the door of the room where the child renting in my house was sleeping. They gang-raped her. Afterwards, they stole our cellphones."
— Elderly victim
“They were assaulted with iron rods and sticks. The attackers left with their cellphones. They demanded money and were given R250 and left. Fortunately, the children were not raped,” the owner of the house said.
Another woman was raped after she and her husband could not pay the R1,000 demanded by the assailants.
Known victims range in age between 14 and 88.
Several girls doing matric at the local high school left or dropped out to escape the trauma.
Girls and single women sleep in groups for safety and most carry money to buy off their assailants in case they are attacked.
But sometimes they are raped despite paying.
Some women say they have “accounts” with the bandits, paying them off to prevent being violated.
An 85-year-old great-grandmother of three was forced to abandon her home after thugs broke in twice.
One of her attackers was allegedly caught and killed by a mob.
“I managed to fight them off,” she said, but “I decided to stay with my daughter in East London.”
“I am scared. I will go back to my home when I am dead, to be buried. It breaks my heart.”
In a nearby village, a 64-year-old woman was raped twice in three months at knifepoint by two different intruders.
“In both instances they demanded money. I had none, so they raped me mercilessly.”
No arrests were made, even though she identified the first assailant to the police.
Her 70-year-old neighbour was attacked by three gunmen in August 2022. One attacker raped her 13-year-old granddaughter.
“They were all wearing balaclavas and each was armed with two pistols. They demanded cash.
“One of the men then raped my granddaughter. Others robbed my neighbour and raped his wife in front of him.”
The woman, who was raped in front of her husband, has left the village.
Police said they were unaware of the community’s claims.
Warrant Officer Majola Nkohli said: “There are no reported criminal cases of extortion in that area.
“Police urge anyone who is being coerced to pay protection or a security fee to report the matter to the nearest police station.
“With regard to cases of murder or rape currently under investigation in that area, there are no indications of extortion.”
Mqhekezweni traditional leader Nkosikazi Nobulali Mtirara said: “We do not know who will be attacked next time. This has been going on for a long time and is getting worse. The attackers are young men of about 18.
“Drugs also play a role and the circulation of unlawful firearms in the Bityi area is a huge problem.
“We need the intervention of police and stakeholders to address the situation.
“Rapists come in the middle of the night and demand money. If they hand over cash, the intruder may or may not rape them.”
Bityi traditional leader Nkosi Mfundo Bhovulengwe Mtirara said rape, murder, stock theft, drugs and illegal firearms were a big problem in the area. He confirmed families were leaving.
“They first demand cash from women and if they get enough sometimes they aren’t raped.
“That sends a clear message ... So poor elderly women on social grants will always be rape victims.”
A 64-year-old grandmother was raped in April. She has since moved away.
She pulled off the man’s balaclava and recognised him.
“That day has left me with a deep scar on my heart,” she said.
She reported the attack to the local traditional leader and who contacted police.
A suspect was arrested and appeared in the Bityi magistrate’s court on June 6. He is due to appear again on August 26.
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