'Lion Mama': the mother who rescued her child from rapists
A brave Eastern Cape woman tells of the night of fear and anger when she rescued her daughter
Twenty minutes from the nearest tar road, in the dead of an inky Transkei night, the silence in a tiny village was shattered by a phone call.
"My phone woke me up. When I answered it, a lady from our village was on the line and told me my daughter was being raped."
That call came in just after 1am and detailed how her child had been screaming since 10pm.
A few hours later the 56-year-old woman - who South Africans have since dubbed "Lion Mama" - would be surrounded by bloodied bodies.
One was her 27-year-old daughter. The others were the men who had spent the last several hours raping her.Describing the incident to the Sunday Times at her home this week, she said: "I grabbed my phone and immediately called the man who deals with all the police forums in the area. When we tried to get hold of them it just rang and went to voicemail."
Dressed in little more than her pyjamas, she picked up a knife and rushed to the home of the sub-headman. As the two of them hurried towards the house where the crime was occurring, they were joined by a young man from the village.
THREE THUGS
Every metre felt like a mile. They arrived at the house of the woman who had tipped her off. From there, her daughter's cries cut through the night, filling her heart with fear.
By this time the village sub-headman had gone to alert the local police forums, leaving just her, the woman who called her and the young man who had joined them earlier.
Led by the light of her phone, they approached the darkened house. Lion Mama went to the front door and sent the others to guard the exits.
"I walked in, with my phone light on, and saw them on the bed. They were raping her."Three men were in the room - one facing her where she stood in the doorway, one with his back to her and another on all fours over her daughter.
"What are you doing?" she shouted. "They all looked up and rushed at me," she said.
"I was so shocked and thought about how she had been crying since 10pm and it was now after 1am. I was also scared that after all of this they would decide to kill her.
"The first one came at me and I ducked. I wanted to get out of his way, but he came straight at me and so I stabbed him. The second one came and held me and I fell to my knees.
"As I fell he tripped over a chair. When he got up and attacked me again, I stabbed him. The third one then tried to jump on the bed and out the window, but I got to him and stabbed him too.
CLEAR CONSCIENCE
"Afterward I went outside where I saw the sub-headman and some guys from the police forum coming. I told them they need to call the police and an ambulance. The police for me and an ambulance for everyone inside."
In the time it took for police to arrive, one of the rapists died.
The authorities took mother and daughter to a hospital in Lady Frere, about 40 minutes away, and then took her to a jail cell in nearby Komani.
"I was a little scared that I would be treated as someone who broke the law and sent to jail but I was also calm because I knew that I didn't go there to kill anyone. I was defending myself and my daughter," she said.NOW FOR THE TRIAL
After the NPA this week declined to pursue charges against her, she returned home.
The decision has been controversial, with many supporting the reprieve but questioning its basis in law.
The daughter has been sent to a hospital in East London, where she may need surgery. Lion Mama's biggest fear is what happens with the trial of the two surviving assailants. "I'm scared to even see them again. It would be painful if they were to be let free."
The accused have abandoned their bid for bail. They are due to appear in court again on October 30.
A crowdfunding campaign has been launched, raising R140,000 for her. If Lion Mama gets that money, she wants to use it to fix her house.
Perhaps it could also go towards a sign that says: "Danger! Ingozi! This area is protected by a lion."
WHEN IS IT OK TO KILL IN SELF-DEFENCE?
South African law says that if faced with an attacker‚ people may defend themselves in proportion to the threat. But Gareth Newham, of the Institute for Security Studies, says using excessive force can lead to prosecution.
"The checks and balances for self-defence are quite rigorous. You will have to demonstrate that you reasonably believed that your life was threatened and that you were going to die if you didn’t defend yourself"...
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