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Eastern Cape GBV victim lives in fear

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Thirty-four-year-old Siphokazi Mjamba from Ngcobo, in the Eastern Cape, is still living in fear after being a victim of gender-based violence twice.

She suffered 3rd-degree burn wounds after her former boyfriend set her alight with paraffin in 2010, burning her upper body.

Two years later, she and her daughter were attacked by unknown assailants.

Mjamba regrets the day she welcomed the perpetrator into her life.

She says. “My ex-boyfriend was very abusive. He beat me and then burnt me. He poured a 5 litre bottle of paraffin on me and set it alight. He then locked the door and left me inside, burning.”

In the video below, Siphokazi shares her story:

Khula Community Development NGO’s Petros Majola says they will help Siphokazi find justice.

He says the Eastern Cape is proud to say they have a strong committee that looks into issues of gender-based violence and femicide.

“We will assist Siphokazi. We will rope in all the relevant structures in the criminal justice system to help her find peace and closure.”

There has been a rise in gender-based violence cases since alert Level 3 of the nationwide lockdown began on June 1.

In the past weeks, Tshegofatso PuleNaledi PhangindawoNompumelelo Tshaka and other women in the Eastern Cape and Kwa-Zulu Natal were found murdered.

In this video below, men are called to join the fight against gender-based violence:

 

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