TSHIOZWI – The community of Tshiozwi is still shocked about the dramatic attempted rape incident in which a 29-year-old man, David Lishivha, lost a piece of his tongue. The accused, according to the police spokesperson at Tshilwavhusiku, Const Thilivhali Maloa, was drinking beer at a local beer lounge when the incident took place on Sunday morning at about 01:00.

The statement indicates that the accused told his friends that he was going home, shortly before the incident. He met the victim along the way home. According to the statement, the accused grabbed the victim and demanded to have sexual intercourse with her.

The victim refused and that resulted in a physical fight between the two. During the ordeal the accused allegedly forced his tongue into the victim's mouth. The victim bit and cut a large piece of the tongue. The accused then left the victim and ran home bleeding profusely at the mouth.

The victim then went to the beer lounge and told the people that she had bitten off a certain man's tongue during an attempted rape incident. She described the man to the people and they quickly managed to recognize him. At that stage, the victim was still holding a piece of tongue in a plastic bag. She went to the Tshilwavhusiku Police Station a little later where she reported the matter. The police proceeded to the accused home where they found him sleeping. Realising that the man was seriously injured, the police took him to the Louis Trichardt Memorial Hospital where he was treated under police guard. He was discharged from hospital on Monday.

Lishivha appeared in the Tshilwavhusiku Magistrate's Court on Tuesday. He was not asked to plead. The case was postponed to next Monday, September 8. He will be in custody until his next court date, as his bail application was not entertained.