An unknown man, who was allegedly trying to rape a 67-year-old woman at Vleifontein last Friday, fled after the woman bit off part of his tongue.

The man left the piece of his tongue lying on the ground and ran for his life. This comes after the granny bit him as a way of defending herself from the would-be rapist.

D/Const Jeaneth Mamukhwana of the Makhado Child Protection, Sexual and Family Violence´s Specialized Unit confirmed the incident. According to her, the incident took place in the middle on the night when the old woman was asleep.

"The unknown man broke into the granny´s house and tried to rape her," she said. She added the the police had opened a case of attempted rape and that investigations were continuing.

Mamukhwana is appealing to members of the community to furnish the police with the information if they come across a man who had lost part of his tongue. According to Mamukhwana, the piece of the tongue that was recovered at the scene was taken to the forensic laboratory in Pretoria for tests.