'Hellhole rapist' claims girl as his daughter
By Natasha Prince
Hidden beneath the lush vegetation of the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley near Hermanus is the hellhole where two young girls have been held captive for 15 months - one of them allegedly as a sex slave.
Their tormentor is allegedly a serial rapist and burglar who has been on the run from police - scaling mountains and hiding in bushes - for three years.
Johannes "Hansie" Mowers led police to the camouflaged hole, about 2m by 3m, after his arrest on Sunday.
He said the girls were fearful of Mowers
Police are investigating Mowers's claim that the four-year-old girl is his daughter.
The girls were found "quite clean" but traumatised, according to provincial police director Jeremy Veary. He said the hole had been stocked with food and equipment, such as a gas stove and a mattress, where the girls slept.
At a press conference in the Hermanus police station, Veary said the girls were undergoing a debriefing by the family violence, child protection and sexual offences unit on Sunday.
He said the girls were fearful of Mowers, who had moved around freely while they were never allowed to leave the hole.
When found, the girls had to be coaxed out of the hole and one started crying.
Police said they had received a tip-off
The 14-year-old had allegedly been abducted in December 2005 from Diepgat farm, where her family lived and worked.
The fruit and vegetable farm is at the top of the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, just below Shaw's Mountain Pass, which winds down from Caledon.
"She never knew who he was. He called himself Colin and said he was a soldier on some mysterious mission," Veary said.
He said investigators had decided to change their strategy earlier this year, by physically tracking Mowers's movements and relying on tip-offs from the community. Mowers - who was living in the mountains - is being linked to three rape cases, abduction, burglary and hijacking charges. But police say more charges may be brought this week.
Veary said a charge would be brought for each occasion Mowers had allegedly sexually assaulted the teenager.
The police task force, the intervention unit, crime intelligence and various investigators had been involved in tracking down Mowers.
Mowers is believed to have relatives and several children in Hawston, Sanford and Hermanus.
Police believe he travelled several kilometres each day through mountain passes to evade capture. They tracked down several hide-outs, including an old boat house and a tent hidden in the bush outside Hermanus.
Wringing his hands and hanging his head to hide his face, Mowers was shackled on the back seat of a police car before he was taken into custody on Sunday. Police said they had received a tip-off which led to the arrest.
His bruised face, head and arms were bandaged while he sat hunched over passively.
Police did not want to comment about his bruises or where Mowers had been arrested, but later said that he had the bruises when they found him.
