Protection racket | Terrified EC women speak out

MQHEKEZWENI - South Africa is looking more and more like a mafia movie.

Extortion rackets are fast becoming the norm in the country.

The modus operandi is simple: Pay for protection or face serious consequences.

But, it's taken a wicked twist in the Eastern Cape, where women are reportedly raped if they don't pay.

These shocking revelations have emerged from Mqhekezweni, near Mthatha.

An elderly woman says the latest home invasion was like a repeat of a horror movie.

She says it was the third time her home has been invaded.

This time, however, criminals took things further by raping a young girl staying with her.

The owner of the property spoke to us on condition we hide her identity as she doesn't know when these rapists might strike next.

Extortion rackets more commonly involve gangs offering protection to foreign national shop owners.

This has extended to kidnapping when some business owners don't succumb to their demands.

The rape of women from Mqhekezweni is adding to the woes of local law enforcement as victims more often than not are too fearful to report the crimes.

But a prominent traditional leader disagrees.

* eNCA's Ronald Masinda reports.