A 17-year-old schoolgirl from Inanda, Athabile Khanyi, a Grade 11 pupil from Mkhapha High School, tragically took her own life after alleging she was kidnapped and repeatedly raped by two men in Inanda, north of Durban. The incident has left her family and the local community devastated.
According to reports, Athabile was abducted on 6 June 2025, and held captive until 9 June 2025. Upon her release, she returned to her home in Maphaphetheni, Inanda, where she recounted a harrowing ordeal to her family.
Athabile's aunt, speaking to Daily Sun, described the distressing scene when the teenager arrived home at approximately noon. The family, already fraught with worry over her disappearance, were deeply concerned about her condition.
"She told us that she was kidnapped and repeatedly raped by two men, a rank manager and a conductor," the aunt explained. However, the family initially struggled to believe her account, pressing her for the "real reason" for her absence and whereabouts. Overwhelmed and distressed, Athabile retreated to her mother's room.
Later, Athabile went to a relative’s house. It was there that her mother made a heartbreaking discovery: a letter in which Athabile expressed her intention to end her life, revealing the horrific details of the alleged rape and naming her attackers.
"While she was at the relative's house, her mother found a letter that she wrote stating that she was going to take her own life because she was raped. In the letter, she explained what happened and also wrote the names of the people who raped her," said the aunt.
The family immediately launched a search for Athabile, eventually finding her at their relatives’ house, where she appeared to be sleeping.
"We woke her up, and she was very weak, and we saw that she had finished a bottle of painkillers," the aunt recounted. Realising the severity of the situation, they rushed her to a local clinic. From there, she was immediately transferred to a hospital for further treatment.
Athabile fought for her life for almost three days, but sadly, she passed away on Thursday, 12 June 2025. The family had desperately hoped for her recovery, but medical reports revealed a grim picture.
"We were hoping that she'd recover but we were told that certain drugs were found in her body as well as the painkillers she overdosed. We suspect that the men drugged her before they raped her," the aunt said, highlighting the family’s suspicion that Athabile was drugged by her abductors before the alleged rapes.
According to her sister, Ntombifikile Mthembu, Athabile was held captive for three days by two men who worked in a taxi. During this time, it is alleged that she was drugged and repeatedly raped. She was released on 9 June 2025.
"We are deeply saddened by what happened to Atha. What saddens us more is that the suspects are continuing with their lives like nothing happened," said Mthembu, expressing the family's anguish and frustration.
In a suicide note, Athabile revealed the horrific details of her captivity, stating that she was raped by different men. She identified one of the suspects as working at the Maphephetheni taxi rank and the other as a taxi conductor.
Mthembu said that on 9 June 2025, Athabile returned home and told her family that she was kidnapped and raped by two men who work in the taxi industry.
"We feel the police are letting us down. All the evidence has been handed over to them, yet the suspects have not been arrested. They keep saying they are still investigating or they ignore us. We don't know what they are investigating," Mthembu added, voicing the family's disappointment with the police investigation.
The family's despair is compounded by the fact that the suspects are known in the area and are allegedly continuing their lives as if nothing has happened. They feel that justice is being delayed and that the police are not taking the case seriously enough.
The chairperson of Civil Society in the Durban region, Nokuthula Cele, expressed her outrage and disappointment at the alleged crimes. She highlighted that this was not an isolated incident in Maphephetheni.
"We've come here several times about incidents of this nature. The problem is we don't see justice being done. We follow up on cases, but there's no closure. We only see action when we get involved as organisations fighting gender-based violence," Cele said, emphasising the need for greater accountability and effective action to address gender-based violence in the community.
Cele also voiced concerns about the safety of children in the area, stating that mothers are now afraid to send their children to the shops. "The area of Maphephetheni is rural but has incidents that are blood-curdling," she said.
Cele also criticised those who support individuals accused of serious crimes, including the suspects' families and traditional healers.
"Traditional healers must stop giving suspects in cases medicine to succeed in cases. In that way, they kill our power as organisations that fight the scourge. On top of that, different people and people who kill victims live," Cele stated.
Cele called on the government to expedite the release of DNA results, as delays can hinder justice in cases like this. She also lamented the lack of male involvement in efforts to combat gender-based violence.
The community is planning a march, led by students, from the local sports field to the taxi rank, where the suspects allegedly work, and then to the Inanda police station to deliver a list of grievances.
KZN police spokeswoman Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo confirmed the matter, stating: "Police in Inanda have registered an inquest docket for investigation following an incident in which a 17-year-old girl allegedly killed herself at Maphephetheni on 12 June 2025."
The investigation is ongoing, and the police are yet to release further details.
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