Former ANC MP and singer Jennifer Ferguson has alleged that a senior sports administrator and ANC politician raped her in a Port Elizabeth hotel, Times Live reported.
Ferguson made the allegation in a Facebook and blog post on Wednesday, with the words: "Disclosure after 24 years. I was probably not the only woman raped by this man."
Ferguson named the alleged perpetrator in her post, but some publications have opted not to name him as he has not been charged. Daily Maverick named him, however, saying the man was given ample opportunity to respond to the website's questions.
Ferguson said her post was not intended to punish the man, "but to bring to light of truth... which has been hidden through years of shame."
Ferguson alleged that the man followed her into her hotel room in 1993.
"I entered my bedroom, closed the door and began to change. A few minutes later the door opened and he entered and without a word grabbed me and forced me on to the bed from behind. He overpowered me and painfully raped me. It must have been over in about 20 seconds, although it felt like a lifetime. He left immediately without saying a word," she wrote.
She would then run into the man in the corridors of Parliament. "He could never meet me in the eye."
Ferguson said she had no doubt that the man would have done this to other women, and apologised for not coming forward sooner. She said her decision to do so now was inspired by the #MeToo social media campaign, where women shared their stories of sexual harassment and assault.
Speaking to Daily Maverick from her home in Sweden on Wednesday night, Ferguson said she received many messages of support, adding, "I didn't anticipate this."
She reportedly said that one could be cynical about the #MeToo campaign, "but the fact remains that there is this kind of social media community which can give space for people who would not otherwise feel safe to utter the unutterable."