Snl24 | Kelebogile fights back after acid attack terror
Kelebogile Mashigo said more still needs to be done to ensure that women are protected from Gender-Based-Violence. Photo Supplied
LIKE the brave women who on 9 August 1956 marched to the Union Buildings in protest against the extension of Pass Laws to women, Kelebogile Mashigo believes more still needs to be done to address various challenges faced by women in Mzansi.
Kelebogile, who is a victim of gender-based violence (GBV), said the month of August should be used to fight for the rights of women who are victims of any form of abuse.
Daily Sun had a chat with Kelebogile from Mmotla in North West about how she nearly lost her life allegedly at the hands of her abusive partner of five years. She further explains what this month, which is dedicated to women, means to her and what should be done to ensure that GBV comes to an end.
How it all startedKelebogile (27) said everything was going well until she discovered that her partner had a child outside their marriage. When she confronted him, he allegedly became aggressive instead of being truthful.
âWe took our relationship to the next level in less than a year after we met. He was smitten and didnât waste time and paid for my lobola. At that time, I didnât know things would go wrong until I found out about his cheating acts. He started being obsessed with me, following my moves even when I was out with friends,â said Kelebogile.
Identifying the signs of abuse Kelebogile said her partner started being more aggressive whenever he was asked about cheating, which got her worried.
âHe started controlling me and manipulating me all the time. He was so insecure because he thought I was also cheating. I started showing him that I wasnât interested in him anymore, I couldnât trust him, but I didnât know that one day I would wake up in hospital with burn wounds on my body,â she said.
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Tragedy strikesâOn 15 May 2024, he just decided to go out and came back with a bottle of acid and poured it on my body. After he realised what he had done, he ran away while I was screaming for help. I was taken to hospital. I didn’t just give up on our marriage easily, but after talks with his family and the baby mama, we couldn’t come up with any solution,” she said.
Living with emotional painâMy wish is to see him rot in jail and suffer for what he has done to me. My story, including those of all other women who went through abuse, should be used as an example to show abusers out there that they have no place in our society if they commit any crime against women. Every day when I look at my wounds, I’m reminded of that horrific day when I nearly lost my life. I have healed physically, but the scars will always be there,â she said.
Her wish for GBV casesâI feel like more still needs to be done in order for us to win this fight against abuse. Cases of GBV should be given urgent attention and stricter sentences should be enforced so that we can put a stop to GBV, domestic violence, sexual harassment, and many other challenges. As women, we should use this day to address these challenges through protests,â she said.
Kelebogile’s partner was arrested and has been remanded in custody. He’s due to appear in court again on Wednesday, 14 August.Â
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