When this happened to me, the cop asked, ‘so, what must I do?’

Rustenburg – Victim shares the story of her ordeal with Platinum Weekly – In an unsettling incident on the night of Monday 8 July 2024, a 31-year-old woman, who works at a shop in the Lifestyle Square Shopping Centre, experienced a traumatic ordeal. Residing in Kruger Street, a short walk from her workplace, she regularly walks home. However, this routine walk turned into a nightmare as she was overpowered, robbed, and narrowly escaped a sexual assault.
The woman, who lacked funds for a Bolt ride home that day, began her usual route down Beyers Naude Drive, turning into Boshoff Street. “I was getting more and more scared as I started to notice the streets were empty. No people or cars driving by,” she recounted. The sense of unease grew as she neared the corner of Boshoff and Kerk streets, where she realised a man was following her.
“He then started walking next to me, and when he saw an opportunity, he came closer and started holding and grabbing at my breasts,” she said. The man wielded an empty glass beer bottle, which he threatened to use as a weapon. “I thought I was going to get raped because he kept asking me to kiss him,” she recalled. In a desperate bid to escape, she handed over her cellphone and ran as quick as she could to her home.
Once home, she collapsed into her mother’s arms, overwhelmed by relief and terror. “Thank the Lord I am still alive because I gave him my phone which he wanted, but I was so scared I was going to get assaulted, raped, or something worse,” she told her mother.

In the aftermath of the attack, the victim and her mother contacted the police. However, they were met with a disheartening response. An unenthusiastic officer simply asked, “So, what must we do?” 
The Platinum Weekly urges the community to remain vigilant and take precautions, especially when traveling alone at night. This incident underscores the urgent need for increased police presence.