Many shocking statistics. One painful fact.
At least 110 women are raped in South Africa. Every day. This according to Stats SA.
There are many similar numbers, all pointing to the same stupefying fact – that South Africa is one of the most dangerous places for girls and women. This writer too is a survivor of an episode of violence, which – ironically – happened the evening before the country celebrated Women’s Day (August 9) in 2014.
In South Africa, a strong patriarchal mind-set, coupled with the intersection of race, gender, class and other identities, influence gender-based violence. There is also a gross under reporting of such crimes.
In the following pages, two educated young women recount how they didn’t let their own experience of violence get them down.
Samantha Smit* (name changed to protect identity) and Bukelwa Moerane reside 40 kilometers from each other, one in the affluent area of Roodepoort, and the other in Diepsloot, a township in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg.
Their paths have never crossed, but destiny served them the same experience from hell – and they survived it.
SAMANTHA SMIT, 28
In 2013, three days after South Africa celebrated Women’s Day, Smit was drugged and raped by three male friends she had known for seven years.
When we meet her on a warm Thursday evening in January, the neighborhood is quiet, and her home warm and secure with high security fences.
Wearing an oversized t-shirt and jeans, she leads us to the pool area her father helps set up for us.
Underneath Smit’s warm exterior is a strong woman coming to terms with a disturbing episode in her past.
This story is from the March/May 2018 edition of Forbes Woman Africa.
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This story is from the March/May 2018 edition of Forbes Woman Africa.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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