Teen's anguish casts a shadow over solar project in De Aar

Shattered by allegations that his teenage daughter had been raped by several men, a De Aar father drove through the tiny Karoo town in search of one of the alleged attackers.

"If I had a weapon, I would have used it," he said this week.

The soft-spoken father of seven, who may not be named to protect the identity of his youngest child, was involved in a car chase through town. It ended on the main road when he stopped his car in front of that of one of the alleged suspects.

The father's quarry is one of several men now in custody in connection with the rape of the 16-year-old.

The suspects are contractors employed at one of four solar farms being built in the area.

De Aar, about 300km from Kimberley, was once best known for being the second-most important railway junction in South Africa. But in the early '80s Transnet stopped using the railway line through the town, which crippled the small settlement's economy.

Last year, when Transnet returned to build a wagon depot, it created 800 jobs. In the past two or three years, the construction of the solar farms has brought in more than 300 foreign visitors and created hundreds of jobs for locals.

Several bed-and-breakfasts sprang up and Chinese, Germans and Italians working on the projects became part of the small community.

But when news of the alleged rape on April 5 spread, the mood changed. Locals said that although they were grateful for the business, they felt angry, disgusted and betrayed.

"Everyone is talking about it," said a local hairdresser. "I can't believe this could happen in our town. It's horrible that this can happen to such a young girl."

A senior municipal official said: "These Italians are the worst. They act like Kenny Kunene, flashing their money.

"One would expect them to wear Giorgio Armani, but there's nothing special about them. They wear the same clothes as us."

The girl's family has lived in De Aar for more than three decades and was excited about the revitalisation of the town.

"This is a tranquil town," said the victim's mother. "Our children used to be able to walk around day and night ... not any more."

Two weeks ago, the teenager, who is at school in Cape Town, was at home for the holidays. She was working on a school project, studying the business side of running a bed-and-breakfast. "This is where she met one of the men," said her mother.

On the Saturday night she went to a club in De Aar with friends and one of the Italian men allegedly bought alcohol for her. "She blacked out and woke up in his room [in a guesthouse]," said police spokesman Ivan Bontshi.

"She demanded to be taken home and the suspect agreed. But while they were walking to his car, his friends drove past and put the girl in their vehicle. They took her to a second guesthouse where they also raped her."

When the teen got home on Sunday morning, she told her older sister what had happened.

The girl's father said: "When she told me it was a group of men, I asked myself how could this have happened?"

The girl's mother, who had been at a church conference in the Eastern Cape when her husband phoned her, said: "We are all traumatised. It's like the whole family has been raped."

She said her daughter was "coping, but she struggles to sleep and has nightmares".

"They [the foreign workers] must rather go back ... they are not boosting our economy. They've brought a criminal element instead ... our children are not safe any more."

The men, aged between 24 and 47, appeared in the De Aar Magistrate's Court last week. They were refused bail and are due to appear in court on May 6.

A spokesman for Solar Capital, which is building the solar farm where the suspects worked, said the Italians were employees of subcontractor Costruzioni Moncada Italia.

"We are deeply saddened and shocked by this alleged incident. We fully recognise the dismay in our community towards violence against women and children. We can also confirm that these individuals have been suspended from our project and will not be allowed to return until the full legal process is complete."