File
Eastern Cape Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nomthetheleli Mene, has hailed the arrest of a 23-year-old man SAPS say is "positively linked" to the rape and assault of a teenager who lost her sight during the brutal attack.
The attack on the 16-year-old woman occurred on Friday, 15 April in the Cabazana Locality in Emaxesibeni (Mount Ayliff).
Police said in an earlier statement that "the young woman was on her way home when she was dragged to a nearby forest by an unknown male suspect, where she was raped."
"It is also alleged that the suspect did not end there, but continued to stab her in her upper body which resulted in her losing her sight. She was helped by a passer-by who called family members and the ambulance that transported her to a nearby hospital," SAPS said.
The suspect, who was arrested after a week-long probe, will appear in court in Emaxesibeni on Monday on charges of rape and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
