A young woman has shared the chilling details of how she was kidnapped and repeatedly raped over 12 hours after meeting a man while walking home late one night.
Ongeziwe Poni, 20, said the terrifying ordeal began on the evening of March 30 at around 9pm, when she encountered the accused, Siyabonga Zono, near her home in Khayelitsha.
“He first told me to look at him. When I refused, he showed me a knife – then I looked at him,” she recounted.
Zono allegedly searched her and demanded her cellphone. After she told him she didn’t have it, he forced her to walk with him. Poni said they ended up at an informal settlement where he pushed her into an outdoor toilet.
“He told me to take my clothes off and then he raped me multiple times. He threatened to kill me if I made any noise and showed me several knives,” she said.
Afterwards, he told her to get dressed. Poni said she left her underwear and jersey behind in the toilet, hoping they would serve as evidence.
The horror continued as Zono took her to a nearby field, close to a train line.
“He laid down a jacket and told me to lie on it. He covered my face with the beanie I was wearing and raped me again – this time without a condom.”
The accused then took her to a friend’s shack, but when he couldn’t get in, they went to another shack where he allegedly kept her overnight.
“He continued to rape me throughout the night. In between, he would smoke a pill mixed with a cigarette. I tried to fight him off, but I was scared he would overpower me,” Poni said.
Just before 9am, Zono reportedly told her he would get a taxi for her. As they walked, he kept directing her toward nearby bushes.
“I got scared because I thought he was going to kill me and dump my body in the dunes. I was saved when I saw my aunt and told her what had happened. But by that time, he had already run away.
“My brother was able to identify him, and that is how we knew where to find him.”
Zono was arrested on April 14 after community members captured him. He has since applied for bail.
The court was due to deliver a judgment on his bail application on Wednesday, but the matter was postponed when the investigating officer failed to attend court and was unable to confirm several key details.
Amadoda Aqotho organisation founder, Lumkile Sizila, expressed frustration at the delays.
“We are disappointed with the court because this case is dragging on. Wednesday was his fifth appearance. We understood the first postponement, it was for his lawyer and the bail application, but this is unacceptable,” said Sizila.
“We are also disappointed that the investigating officer has not been in court. We have not seen her once. She doesn’t seem passionate about gender-based violence cases. She didn’t even go to the locations where the victim says she was raped. We are going to follow up with her. We are very worried about this. More than 1,800 people signed our petition to oppose bail.”
Zono is expected to return to court on June 5.
* The rape victim permitted to be identified.
