South Africa Rape And Murder Shocks Country

The rape and murder of a teenage girl in South Africa has "outraged" the nation, the country's president has said.

Anine Booysen was found at a building site in the town of Bredasdorp, 130km (80 miles) east of Cape Town, and died later in hospital.

Her body had been cut open, exposing her internal organs.

Police are investigating whether the 17-year-old, who was reportedly lured away from her friends by a group of men, was gang-raped.

Officers have arrested two men aged 22 and 21, both of whom are expected to appear in court on charges of rape and murder. The offences carry a mandatory life sentence.

In a statement, President Jacob Zuma said: "The whole nation is outraged at this extreme violation and destruction of a young human life.

"This act is shocking, cruel and most inhumane. It has no place in our country.

"We must never allow ourselves to get used to these acts of base criminality to our women and children."

Mr Zuma vowed "that government would never rest until the perpetrators and all those who rape and abuse women and children, are meted with the maximum justice that the law allows."

The high rate of sexual crimes in South Africa means offences are rarely highlighted.

According to official statistics, 65,000 offences were committed last year, although police estimate that only one in 36 rape cases is reported.

Studies have found that a quarter of South African men admitted raping a woman or a girl.

Patrick Craven, a spokesman for the Congress of South African Trade Unions, called for protests following the recent attack.

" When a very similar incident occurred in India recently , there was a massive outbreak of protest and mass demonstrations in the streets," he said.

"We must show the world that South Africans are no less angry at such crimes and make an equally loud statement of disgust."

In December the death of a 23-year-old student who was gang-raped on a New Delhi bus triggered huge protests against female violence in India.