Three Zimbabwean illegal immigrants from Bulawayo were raped at knife point, allegedly by four unknown suspects who had offered to assist them in crossing into South Africa illegally, police have said.

The SAPS spokesperson for Musina, Capt Sydney Ringane, said the incident occurred on Friday, at around 16:00, in the bushes near the Limpopo River on the South African side of the border.

“The victims, aged between 17 and 22, approached the four suspects on the understanding that they (the suspects) would help them cross into South Africa illegally through an undesignated entry point along the Limpopo River for a fee. The victims then each paid the suspects R300, but along the way, the suspects demanded to have sex with them,” he said.

The three women refused to give in to the demands, prompting one of the suspects to pull out a knife and threaten to kill the victims.

“The four men then took turns to rape the girls, after which they fled into the bush,” said the police spokesperson.

The victims, however, managed to trudge through the bush until they reached Musina, where they reported the matter to the police. Capt Ringane said no arrests had been made.

“We are appealing to community members to assist with information that could lead to the arrest of the suspects, and again we also urge people to desist from using illegal entry points as they risk being raped and mugged by criminals,” Capt Ringane said.

Of late there has been an increase in the number of people, mostly border jumpers and smugglers, being raped and robbed by armed robbery syndicates, commonly known as gumagumas, operating in bushy areas along the Limpopo River.