KANYAMAZANE – A pregnant woman has been beaten beyond recognition by her boyfriend for allegedly refusing to have sex with him.
The incident occurred just two days after the country started to celebrate Women’s Month.
Ms Winnie Mpeyani, whose bruises were visible, told Mpumalanga News this week that her boyfriend started beating and throttling her after he demanded to have sex and accused her of cheating on him. “I told him that I wasn’t in the mood and he indicated that I had earlier said that we would have sex when we got home.”
She added that her visibly drunk boyfriend also accused her of cheating after he took her phone and went through it. Mpiyane said he demanded that she should call back people with whom she had earlier communicated and tell them never to contact her again. “He started hitting me with an open hand and fists after we called our mechanic – who denied being in a relationship with me.”
“After beating me, he just passed out and I managed to run away and report the matter to the police. Despite our problems I could never cheat on him, and he never wanted me to have friends because he wanted me all to himself,” she said.
According to
Ms Barbara Kenyon of the Greater Nelspruit Rape Intervention Project, there is no success story in which an abusive man ends up being fully rehabilitated.
“The only way for a woman to get out of an abusive relationship, is by asking herself whether she wants her children – girls or boys – to be in similar relationships with their partners.”
She indicated that there were numerous reasons for women remaining in abusive relationships. The victim convinces herself that her abuser will change, among other things. “One in four women are in an abusive relationship.
“One is raped every 26 seconds and one killed every eight hours in South Africa,” according to the director of People Opposing Women Abuse,
Ms Nhlanhla Mokwena.
She added that as a result, only one
in 25 victims will report a case.
This was due to the fact that they no longer trusted the judicial system because some cases could not be proved beyond reasonable doubt.
“This being the case, they opt not to report their ordeal to avoid the trauma. In some cases it’s because the outcome of the case may not be what the victim expects.”
KaNyamazane police spokesperson,
WO Andries Skwambane confirmed that a case of assault and domestic violence had been opened by the victim and she had submitted a statement to the police.
