WOMEN ATTACKED, RAPED IN DAYLIGHT

MBABANE – There seems to be rapists on the loose, reportedly sexually violating women in broad daylight.

On Tuesday, a teenager (18), was gang raped twice in a forest by two men without the use of protection at 11am.

This incident is not isolated as Eswatini has seen 26 rape cases recorded in the past eight weeks and emphasises that the country is in the grip of an unsettling surge in sexual violence, with a string of rape cases reported across the country in recent weeks.

The alarming frequency of these incidents, involving women, teenagers and even young children, which occurred in the past weeks reveal that the women are either waylaid on their way to work, raped at home and gang raped.

Increased

This happens at a time when police reported that rape cases increased with 8.63 per cent as they hiked from 823 to 894 cases. This is a 71 jump in the rape cases.

In a particularly harrowing incident, on Tuesday, an 18-year-old woman was gang-raped twice by two unknown men in a forest at Mpolonjeni, Mbabane, at around 11am. Police reports state that the perpetrators did not use protection and remain at large.

Another deeply distressing case involved an eight-year-old pupil who was raped by a fellow schoolmate in a school toilet on February 27.

Sources revealed that the incident has left the child traumatised and has sparked widespread calls for improved security in schools.

Trend

These incidents are just the tip of the iceberg. A series of other assaults reported in the same week has brought the total number of rape cases to five, highlighting a disturbing trend.

In Nkoyoyo, Mbabane, a woman was attacked near a roadside, while at Nsangwini, Pigg’s Peak, another woman was assaulted in her own home. At Lusushwana, Matsapha, a woman was raped in a bush, and in Mankayane, a 19-year-old was forced into sexual intercourse inside a car.  

Over the past eight weeks, similar incidents have been reported in areas such as Mbabane, Matsapha, Siteki, Pigg’s Peak and beyond.

The survivors are often attacked in spaces that should be safe, such as their homes, schools or public spaces.

In some cases, the perpetrators are strangers, but in many instances, the attackers are individuals known to the survivors, including family members, neighbours and acquaintances.

Statistics reveal that many survivors experience abuse before the age of 18, with children and adolescents disproportionately affected.

While there is the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Act to combat gender-based violence (GBV), a legal expert said: “Survivors often feel unsupported and justice is elusive for many. This must change if we are to restore confidence in the system.”

Incidents

Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Senior Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, said they were receiving reports and noted the different incidents as reports were presented to them.

“We are doing awareness programmes to alert the nation and share preventive measures and advises women to tighten security in houses. We appeal that women should not walk alone in shady or unsafe places,” she said.

Vilakati said these were some of the advices they shared when presenting to different sectors.

Recently, this publication reported that in an investigation conducted by the Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA), Dladla provided insights into the domestic environment where such abuse frequently occurs.

“The prevalence of these incidents is more common in squatter settlements, where parents often share a bedroom with their children, including adolescents,” Dladla stated, noting that such conditions expose children to various malpractices, which they may then perpetuate on their siblings.

Reports from SWAGAA indicate that of the 94 cases of abuse documented in December 2024, 69 were reported to occur within the home.

This underscores the pervasive nature of domestic violence.

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