Joburg festival rape horror

With scant information about a brutal sexual assault on a woman who was found bloodied and unconscious in a toilet at a popular Gauteng cultural festival, her family has turned to Twitter.

Social networks were abuzz as the 20-year-old woman's family desperately searched for information on the Saturday night attack.

The woman was found in the toilets at the Lusito Land Portuguese Festival.

Suspected of being repeatedly raped, she was taken to Netcare's Mulbarton Hospital, where she is reported to be in a critical condition.

Netcare 911 spokesman Santi Steinmann said last night that because of patient confidentiality she could not comment on the condition of the woman.

Police, who yesterday confirmed the attack, said they had very little information to go on.

Gauteng provincial police spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini, said that a case of rape was being investigated.

"No arrests have been made.

''We have very little information and are appealing to people who know what happened to come forward," he said.

With searches for information hitting dead ends, the woman's uncle said the family had turned to Twitter for help.

He said his daughter had contacted him in the evening and said she was at hospital with her cousin.

"My daughter went to seek help from the management of the festival, but they were less than helpful. They gave us no assistance.

"We know very little about what happened in terms of the attack," he said.

A number of tweets posted on the attack revealed that at least two men were believed to be behind the assault, although very little is known about them.

The woman's niece said they could not talk too much about the attack for fear of jeopardising the investigation.

"We have no further comment at this stage. The police are handling everything now," she said.

Lusito Land spokesman Naomie Contentes distanced the festival and organisers from the assault.

She said the alleged sexual offence took place in the parking area adjacent to the Lusito Land festival.

"Paramedics at the event assisted the patient, who was transported to a nearby medical facility," she said.

Contentes insisted that safety was a priority for Lusito Land and that both the police and private security companies had been roped in to ensure a safe and secure event.