Article Author:
The Associated Press
Mogomotsi Magome
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African prosecutors have charged seven women with the rape of eight women in Krugersdorp almost two weeks ago. prosecuted self-employed miners. Johannesburg.
Seven more men will be charged with rape on Thursday, sources said.
The rape of women who were part of a film crew filming a music video in an abandoned mine in the area sparked protests and violent attacks on freelance miners known as Zamazama.
Residents accuse the miners of operating illegally and committing many other crimes in the neighborhood.
Following the rape, angry residents went on a rampage, assaulting the miners before handing them over to the police and taking them to the camps where they lived, their belongings, and their mining equipment. was set on fire. Protests broke out in Krugersdorp and surrounding areas such as Kagiso, Beckersdal and Morakeng.
Fourteen suspects were identified by witnesses on Tuesday, according to the National Prosecutor's Office. More than 80 suspects were arrested in a police raid at an abandoned mine in Krugersdorp after reports of rape and robbery surfaced.
Seven of the suspects were accused of multiple rapes, He was indicted Wednesday at the Krugersdorp Magistrate's Court on charges of sexual assault and robbery. The remaining seven will appear in court on Thursday, officials said. Those charged Thursday appeared before another court charged with illegally staying in South Africa on Wednesday.
We cannot rule out the possibility of being added to the docket, and we will be directed according to the direction of the investigation," National Prosecutor's Office spokeswoman Findy Mijondoiné said outside the courtroom.
} Illegal mining is rampant in many parts of South Africa, including Gauteng and Free State, with miners digging for gold deposits in disused, abandoned mines. Miners hold gold illegally and are often active in heavily armed syndicates, according to local reports.
Various community and political groups protested outside the courtroom where men appeared Wednesday, denied bail on suspects, and called on the government to address the scourge of gender-based violence in South Africa. asked to
