At least 10 women, among them an 89-year-old, filed rape complaints in and around Mthatha on Christmas Day.
Four of the complaints came from Tsolo.
Eastern Cape police commissioner Lieutenant-General Liziwe Ntshinga urged caution saying “criminals and rapists were waiting to prey on unsuspecting victims”.
Ntshinga added most of the cases had taken place near taverns and some of the victims were inebriated.
Provincial police spokesperson Captain Khaya Tonjeni said nine suspects had subsequently been arrested.
However, one of the suspects – the one who was wanted in connection with the rape of the 89-year-old woman – had shot and killed himself before he could be arrested by the police.
“He had barely parked his bakkie after arriving from a long journey from Johannesburg, where he works,” said Tonjeni.
“In a short space of time, an 89-year-old woman was raped in his neighbourhood.
“Fortunately she was able to remember who raped her.”
Tonjeni revealed that some items of clothing believed to belong to the suspected rapist were found at the scene and were later positively identified by the latter’s wife.
However, he turned the gun on himself before he could be arrested.
In separate incident, three suspects aged between 16 and 19 were arrested in Manyoni location in Mthatha for raping a 16-year-old girl.
A 29-year-old was arrested in Tsolo on a rape charge and a 21-year-old in the same town accused of raping a 14-year-old girl.
Also in Tsolo, a 20-year-old young woman complained of rape by a 26-year-old, who was subsequently arrested, and a 27-year-old man was arrested and charged with raping a 23-year-old woman.
In Libode, a 68-year-old man was arrested and charged with raping a 45-year-old woman and a 60-year-old was arrested in connection with the rape of a 45-year-old woman in the same town.
A concerned Ntshinga urged police to shut down illegally operating taverns.
“We call upon all police on duty to stamp their authority in closing illegal liquor outlets and enforcing compliance to stipulated times of business for those legal operators,” she said, adding that those still celebrating their holidays should do so with caution...