Valentine's Day nearly turned into a tragedy for a 12-year-old girl who was beaten, dragged and nearly stabbed by a man in a notorious Eerste River bush.
The meisie and three of her friends had been swimming in a dam on privately owned land between Faure and Eerste River just after 6pm on Tuesday when they were attacked.
The girl managed to escape after one of her friends pelted their attacker with stones until he fled.
The bushy area known as The Wines was recently cleared for a new housing development and is located next to railway tracks along Van Riebeek Road.
The Eerste River Community Policing Forum believes the young girl, who is currently being treated in hospital, could have been killed had it not been for the heroic actions of her 12-year-old friend.
The boy’s mother, 36, says her son now has difficulty sleeping, as he is disturbed by the horrific ordeal.
The children just finished swimming and were getting dressed when the man pounced on them.
“He started kicking the girl in the face and beating her, one friend ran off but my son didn’t leave, he is very protective over her,” says the mother.
“The 15-year-old boy, who was with them, was frozen with shock.
“Every time the man beat and kicked her, my son threw stones and bricks at him.
“My son said the man had a knife and attempted to stab the girl several times, but that he kept shouting at him and throwing stones at him.
“The man was shouting at him to jump in the dam and leave them alone.”
The meisie tried to run away, but her attacker kept wrestling with her until she was too tired to move.
“At one stage the man dragged the girl on the ground, but my son kept pelting stones at the man.
“When he saw he wasn’t going to succeed, the man gave the girl a last kick and a flick of the knife and walked away, grabbing their clothing,” she says.
The boy carried the girl to safety. A 14-year-old boy who saw him struggle rushed to assist, while their 15-year-old friend ran to get help.
“My son kept shouting to the girl to stay awake while he carried her.
“My son could not sleep after this ordeal and he asked my mother [his ouma] to pray for him.
“He said the man was black and wore an orange T-shirt, jeans, glasses with a yellow rim and possibly limps,” she says.
The 14-year-old boy adds: “We live opposite the bush and I know them [teens]. We always swim in the dams.
“He couldn’t carry her anymore and I helped them over the road to my house and gave her water.”
The children told police they’d never seen the man before.
The girl’s aunt says they often warn the children about swimming in the isolated dam “but they never listen”.
“She was admitted to the trauma section at the hospital. We are very hurt and shocked that this happened,” says the aunt.
The girl’s granny says: “Her face is very swollen and her nose is possibly broken, she cannot speak yet but she responds with gestures. They did X-rays and nothing else was broken.”
Wendell Slabbert, Public Relations Officer for the Blue Downs/Eerste River Cluster, says they are appealing for safety measures: “This community has seen so much tragedy in that bush, it was called the Bush of Evil.
“We are, therefore, appealing to authorities for safety measures like fencing to cut off access leading to the bush and dams.”
The bushy area started to gain notoriety in 2005 and became a dumping ground for the bodies of children, especially girls.
Police spokesperson, Captain FC van Wyk, says: “We can confirm an assault on a 12-year-old girl on an open field opposite a petrol filling station in Strand Road, Eerste River.
“A case of assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm was registered for investigation.”
Hayley van der Woude, of the City of Cape Town, says they are unable to do anything about the land because it is privately owned.