Hundreds attend South Africa rape victim’s funeral

JOHANNESBURG — Hundreds of mourners have gathered in South Africa for the funeral of a 17-year-old girl whose brutal rape has sparked national outrage.

The funeral took place Saturday in Bredasdorp, a Western Cape town. It is there where the girl was raped and her body was carved open from her stomach to her genitals by her attackers. She lived long enough to identify one of her killers.

Mourners carried her white coffin, adorned with flowers, to be buried. Family members openly wept during the funeral service, attended by government leaders and activists.

Three men, including her former ex-boyfriend, have been arrested over her death and are scheduled to appear in court Monday.

The attack has sparked calls from South Africa’s president to stop the high incidence of rapes in the nation.