TSWANA STUDENT RAPED AT INTERVARSITY GAMES

Lettie Knowles (R) from Botswana being interviewed while other students look on. (survivor not in the picture).

MATSAPHA – A student from the University of Botswana has allegedly been raped during the ongoing Intervarsity Games at the Kwaluseni Campus of the University of Swaziland (UNISWA).

The alleged rape incident is said to have taken place on Saturday night.
The university is currently hosting Botswana and Lesotho universities as part of the games.

The student (19), who will not be named, is said to have been allegedly raped inside the toilets at Lomawa Block, where the buses from Botswana and Lesotho had been parked.

Drinks

She is said to have been having alcoholic drinks with other students at the campus.
A source, who preferred anonymity, said the female student had been having a conversation with a man, believed to have been from Botswana, who had been wearing a black T-shirt before the incident occurred.
She is said to have vanished into the ablutions within the Lomawa Block and the man followed her.

After a few minutes, the student emerged without her shoes, screaming and alleged that she had been raped inside the toilets.
She told the security officers that the man who had allegedly raped her was wearing a red T-shirt.

“The suspect is believed to be from the same country as the complainant and we are aware that the two were close even before leaving their country for Swaziland,” another student from Botswana who refused to be named alleged.
The police were called and they recorded statements before taking the survivor to the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial (RFM) Hospital for a check-up.

Hairdo

Sporting a short hairdo, the complainant, who opened a rape case was traced by this publication’s reporters and found seated at the Multi Purpose Hall with other students from her country.
When approached and questioned on the matter, she refused to comment and said she had nothing to say about the rape case.
Journalists were threatened by some of the Botswana students who were defending the complainant and ordering them not to ask her further questions.

Other sources revealed that the complainant, whose state of sobriety was questionable when she recorded statements, first alleged that she had been raped by a police officer who spoke Afrikaans.

On the other hand, she recorded that she had been raped by a local student whom she believed is based at Kwaluseni.
Royal Swaziland Police Deputy Public Relations Officer Inspector Khulani Mamba confirmed the rape matter and said the police had opened an inquiry.
“The police are still conducting investigations into the said matter and no arrests have been made yet,” Inspector Mamba said.
UNISWA Registrar Ambrose Gama said the chief security officer had reported the matter to his office and said the police were handling it

.
Investigations

“I believe the police are still conducting investigations on the matter and they are the ones who are in a better position to shed light on it. The university still does not have concrete information on the case as yet,” Gama said.
On the other hand, Student Representative Council (SRC) President Maxwell Dlamini confirmed that they were aware of the rape case and they condemned such acts.

“We are all gathered here because of the games and have to concentrate on that. It is an unfortunate incident; however I would not like to comment further as it has been handed over to the police,” Dlamini said.

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