Women’s Month: Spotlight on Durban’s nightlife scene following reports of spiked drinks and rapes

The Durban nightlife scene has been dealt a blow after scores of young women revealed that their drinks were allegedly spiked at a number of hotspots around the City.

The Durban nightlife scene has been dealt a blow after scores of young women revealed that their drinks were allegedly spiked at a number of hotspots around the City.

Durban – The Durban nightlife scene has been dealt a blow after scores of young women revealed that their drinks were allegedly spiked at a number of hotspots around the City.

A woman, who asked not to be named, shared how a friend told her that “it was a common occurrence” for women’s drinks to be spiked. She added that some women are even raped while under the influence of a date rape drug and are later to embarrassed to report the incident.

“I’ve heard about women waking up and completely out of it. They don’t even know how they got wherever they are. The last time they remember is going out with friends. The rest of the night is a blur,” she said.

In June, Police Minister Bheki Cele said the Quarter Four Crime Statistics 2021/2022 showed that for the first three months of this year, 10 818 people were raped in South Africa.

He said almost half of the cases, a staggering 4 653 rapes took place at the home of the rape victim or the home of the rapist.

“Public parks, beaches, streets, open fields, parking areas and abandoned buildings were the second most likely places for rapes to occur. Liquor was involved in 1 290 of the rapes,” Cele said.

According to police, a rape investigation is underway following an incident of a rape at a restaurant in uMhlanga.

According to Northglen News, a woman reported that she was raped by an unknown man at an eatery on Chartwell Drive.

Meanwhile, a woman is calling for justice after her daughter was reportedly raped in April. Speaking to the SABC, the woman said her daughter worked at a restaurant in uMhlanga and was allegedly raped at work.

The Democratic Alliance Women’s Network (DAWN) in KwaZulu-Natal said it was horrified at these incidents.

“We are also aware and have been keeping track of those women who have been through this ordeal,” said chairperson, Shehana Kajee.

“We need to ask why there is no proactive action being taken by police especially when the survivors are ready to speak out and know which establishments are danger zones,” she said.

Kajee said at the core of the issue was that if the establishment is shut down, the problem would just be moved to another area.

DAWN is calling for establishments, known for this heinous behaviour, to be raided regularly to deter the behaviour.

“It is infuriating that women are not able to have an enjoyable, stress-free night out. We now have to take special precautions just to have a night out with friends,” she said.

She urged women to ensure that there is always a friend available to watch over drinks.

“Do not accept drinks from anyone. There are drink covers available to protect your drinks and be vigilant at all times,” she said.

IOL