Eight models gangraped at gunpoint by armed gang during music video shoot

In a horrific incident reported from South Africa, eight women were gang-raped at gunpoint by an armed gang at an illegal mine near Krugersdorp in Gauteng Province.

The women had gone there to shoot a music video when the armed men wearing balaclavas arrived at the location and started to fire guns at them.

The crew and the cast were offloading equipment and preparing the set when the gang attacked them. The victims tried to run away but were stopped by a volley of gunshots.

The victims included women aged between 18 and 35. The men were not spared either, they were all stripped naked and robbed of all their belongings.

According to a report in The Mirror, the women were raped several times before police could arrive at the location. The victims were rescued following a gunfight between the police and the miners. Two illegal miners were shot dead and another received injuries, but the rest of them managed to escape.

"It looks like they are foreign nationals, basically they are Zama Zamas," Police Minister Bheki Cele told AFP. Zama Zamas in the region are the people involved in illegal mining.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has directed the police to ensure that the perpetrators are "apprehended and dealt with," as soon as possible.

Local media reports claim that the models had come to the deserted mine from Johannesburg. The case has sent shockwaves across South Africa. There were 12 women and 10 men in the crew.

As many as 65 potential suspects have been arrested in connection with the case, according to Police spokesman Brigadier Brenda Muridil.

"The operation is ongoing until all of the suspects are found and the response will be serious to show the state our protection of young women is clear," he said.

"One woman was raped 10 times, and the other eight, another six and so on. They were all robbed and all their stuff taken including their shoes and clothes," he added.