WATCH | Rape victim’s testimony leaves the President visibly shaken

A harrowing account from a rape victim left President Cyril Ramaphosa visibly shaken during the National Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Summit in Centurion, Tshwane, on Thursday.

The woman, who gave an account of how she was raped, felt that the justice system failed and humiliated her.

During the woman’s testimony,  the President is seen holding on to national assembly  Speaker, Baleka Mbete as the woman reveals how she was cross-examined by eight lawyers during her trial in a court of law.

Speaking in IsiZulu she says “I had come to get help, but I was being pointed at. I was answering to eight lawyers. Telling them how I was raped. I was raped from all sides, left and right. I didn’t pay much attention to the detail of my environment during the rape.”

She continued her testimony recalling how the perpetrators violated her to a point that she couldn’t walk properly, because they had inserted some foreign objects into her body. She was immediately offered counseling by organisers of the summit in one of the private rooms, but she was commended for her bravery by fellow activists and victims of gender-based violence.

The first  gender-based violence and femicide summit  brought NGOs, gender activists, religious groups and traditional leaders under one roof.

The summit seeks to device lasting solutions to curb the scourge of Gender Based Violence.  The first day of the summit turned emotional when one of the victims and activist pulled up her dress to show the President some of the scars she endured after being gang raped in Tembisa in the East Rand several years ago.

The summit is organised with the support of the office of the Presidency and will end on Friday.

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