Warning: The content contained within this article features imagery which readers may find disturbing
Three male friends found an 18-year-old female high school student from eThekwini – KZN on Thursday 1 May, nearly two weeks after her family reported her missing on 16 April 2025.
Student Reported Missing After Attending Party
Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) received a call for assistance from the student’s mother at 21:51 on Thursday 1 May 2025.
Reaction Officers responded to the call and interviewed the mother, who reported that her daughter had attended a party in Cottonlands with four friends on the day of her disappearance. No one had seen or heard from her since then.
Three males known to the family dropped the student off at her home, according to RUSA. They said they had found her at a township in Durban.
Student Alleges Rape and Drugging
When interviewed, the young woman appeared disoriented and traumatised.
She told officers that after attending the party, she and three other female students accompanied four men to a nightclub. At the club, the men accused one of the girls of stealing drugs.
In retaliation, she claimed that they forced all four girls to take cocaine and repeatedly raped them in a dark room.
She further stated that after the assault, they took her to an unknown location and held her captive.
During this time, she recalled the men frequently injecting her in the arms. She was unsure whether they prostituted her while she was captive.
On Thursday evening, while at a tavern with her alleged captors, three male school friends spotted her and transported her safely back to her home.
Police Take Over Investigation
RUSA called the South African Police Service (SAPS) to the scene, and they took over the investigation.
RUSA confirmed that their body-worn cameras were active during the interview, in line with their operational policy.
Note: Due to the sensitive nature of this case, certain details have been withheld to protect the victim and support the ongoing investigation.
What more can be done to prevent such incidents from happening to young people in South Africa?
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