PRETORIA, South Africa — The gang rape of eight women — allegedly by illegal miners — has transfixed South Africa and encapsulated numerous evils plaguing this society all at once.
The victims were models taping a program at a mining location when attacked. More than 100 men have been arrested in the assault, although not all charged. Many are from neighboring countries — most in Johannesburg largely from Lesotho — and are in South Africa without proper documentation, police say.
Women activists “must be turning over in their graves,” said Sophia Williams de-Bruyn, a veteran advocate who has been fighting violence against women for decades. Tuesday is a holiday here marking an anti-apartheid march undertaken by brave women 66 years ago, a touchstone in the struggle for women’s rights.
