Mother of gang-rape victim says her daughter can now ‘find peace’ after South African cops shot dead nine men who made her watch her girl’s sex attack – and locals say they can now sleep at night

The weeping mother of a young girl brutally raped by armed thugs said after nine of them were shot dead by South African police: ‘My daughter will now have peace from this’.

The 52-year-old mother added: “I will finally be able to sleep and I know my daughter will have peace in her heart knowing she will never see those boys again.

“It’s so hard every day to have to live with the fact that your daughter was raped in front of your eyes,” she said.

The traumatized mother-of-two’s life was turned upside down when the gang that terrorized their neighborhood for a year broke into her home and targeted her daughter.

The violent gang of 11 young men aged between 18 and 22 had been behind a brutal mini-crime spree in the Durban suburb for more than a year and were wanted for at least five murders.

They had used automatic weapons, pistols and machetes to terrify locals and drive three families from their homes in Mariannhill, which they had taken over as the gang’s headquarters.

But their luck ran out on Wednesday when a team of elite firearms officers were sent to tackle them after they raped a helpless woman in front of her mother and sister.

The masked and armed gang burst through the kitchen door on March 28 and beat the 52-year-old mother and her two daughters, aged 16 and 24, in a blatant home invasion.

But then their attention shifted to the eldest daughter, who they then began to undress and then rape, while the terrified mother and younger sister had to watch and listen.

Less than a week later, nine members of the gang lay dead in their headquarters, which locals say had been converted into an “abattoir” where they died during a two-minute shootout with police.

Quick justice was delivered to the ruthless gang by the expert KZN Provincial Stabilization Team, which was mobilized following a tip-off as to where the gang was hiding.

Angered by the brutal rape, which had inflamed tempers in the terrified community, the police team entered under cover of darkness but a lookout alerted the criminals.

The gang made the mistake of opening fire first and in a devastating response the firearms unit returned a barrage of fire that ended the young lives of the 9 desperadoes inside.

Two members of the gang have apparently escaped and are being hunted by the team.

Yesterday, the families of the nine dead gang members made a tearful procession past a dozen police vehicles and pathology teams to identify the bloodied bodies of their loved ones.

But the mother of the raped girl praised the police action, which will finally bring order to the once peaceful neighborhood, which is already united again.

The mother, who would not be named to protect her daughter, told reporters: “It won’t change what happened but it will bring closure to my daughter and to all of us as a family.

“What makes it worse is that these were young boys who I watched grow up before my eyes and then found drugs and guns and then grew in numbers and became so powerful.”

The crying mother said the gang broke in around midnight last week while they were sleeping and demanded money and took the TV and their mobile phones.

She told TimesLive: ‘They wanted more money but I said I didn’t have it and then they started attacking me and my 16-year-old daughter and pushing us both onto the bed.

‘While this was happening they were raping my eldest daughter and I could hear her screaming for help but I couldn’t do anything because they were armed and attacking us.

‘I don’t think my daughter will ever come live with me again after what happened, and I also think I’ll be moving back into my house soon – I might have to sell it.

“My child is staying with relatives because these boys are still roaming the area committing more crimes. She is receiving counseling and was afraid they would return.

“I’m staying with a friend, far away from home, and it’s so painful to see your child being raped while you’re there and then separated from him by criminals.”

The mother made a living renting several properties she owns, but these are left vacant because people were too afraid of the gang to move in.

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the suspects who made up the gang were on their radar due to a number of serious and violent crimes in the area.

He said it included murder, rape, armed robbery, home invasion, theft and assault.

Colonel Netshiunda added: “The provincial stabilization team attacked the gang early on Wednesday morning and the exchange of fire took place when they opened fire on us.

“The suspects were behind a number of serious and violent crimes, including murder, but then raped this young girl and made her mother watch during a home invasion.

“Information has been received that the gang was preparing an attack and we have received intelligence with an address and nine gang members have been shot dead and two others are being hunted.”

Police sources said that at the time police raided the gang, they had just robbed two locals at gunpoint and were planning an execution of a rival gang boss inside their headquarters.

One said: ‘Information came our way that they were putting together a hit and there would be all 11 of them and we took out 9 but unfortunately two escaped.

“But we’re hot on their heels and they certainly won’t come back here,” he said.

Community Policing Forum chairman Dawood Chirwa said: “This area had become a no-go zone and it is sad because these were just young children who were known and grew up here.

“Then they got guns and brought terror into our community. A scared community can’t do much because you report them and word gets around and these guys come back for you.”

Local ward councilor Reginald Cloete believes there are more members of the gang and said: ‘Hopefully a message has been sent and they don’t return to this community.’

A local businessman, who has not been named, said: ‘When it was dark the terror came and you locked the doors and stayed inside and hoped the gang wouldn’t come after you.

‘Now people can sleep peacefully because the police have brought us the safety we desperately needed.

“There’s no point in just arresting people because they get a bail of R250 and within 15 minutes they’ve robbed someone to get their bail back and then it all starts again.

“Bullets are better than bail and hopefully we can rebuild our community,” he said.

Police found weapons and a rifle in the home and are looking for two more gang members

The South African Police in KZN are said to be waging a war against criminals who are the first to open fire on them and so far this year some 37 suspects have been shot dead in KZN province.

Every day, 75 murders and 120 rapes take place in South Africa, mainly between rival gangs in impoverished areas where police patrols rarely venture.

X users showed little sympathy with one statement: ‘I feel sorry for the parents. But those m…..f…cherries had to die’. Another said: ‘Case closed – great job KZN police’.