Staff Reporter
A 29-year-old man will appear at the Ficksburg Magistrate Court on Tuesday facing charges of attempted murder, rape and robbery with a deadly weapon.
Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Thandi Mbambo said in a statement on Thursday that police in Rosendal received a complaint earlier in the week of a woman who had been brutally stabbed at Kleinste Farm in the same area.
The incident is said to have happened on Tuesday morning but the police report was made at about 6pm.
“It is alleged that the 31-year-old victim arrived home bleeding from her throat, that was nearly cut off with an unknown sharp object and was not able to talk,” said Mbambo.
The owner of the farm and the family of the complainant took her to the police station where emergency medical services were called.
“Though the victim was unable to talk due to the injuries in the neck, she was able to write details of the incident and give a clear description of the alleged perpetrator before being referred to hospital for treatment,” the police spokesperson explained in the statement.
The suspect was then traced and arrested at De Hoop Farm, also in Rosendal.
According to Mbambo, it was established during investigations that the complainant was accosted by the suspect earlier that day at about 1100 hours when she was on her way home.
The suspect allegedly made advances on her and when the woman turned him down, he became angry and dragged her to a nearby bush where he allegedly raped her.
He then slashed her throat and left her for dead.
“The woman however managed to drag herself for a distance until she reached her home where she was assisted. She is still in hospital in a critical condition,” according to the police.