A WOMAN’S face was viciously hacked open by her boyfriend who used a bush knife to commit the heinous attack last night, at the Malacca Road Informal Settlement, near Glen Hills.
The horrific attack, that left the woman with gaping wounds on the right side of her face, comes four days before the start of the national annual 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign.
Northglen News is in possession of two photos that are too graphic to publish. The pictures show the deep gashes inflicted on the woman’s face with the bush knife.
Her face is covered in blood with pieces of flesh hanging down below her chin. What’s more the gash is so deep that the inside of her mouth can be seen through it.
Authorities were called to the small informal settlement at 11pm where the woman was found. A source who lives in the settlement told Northglen News that the couple was visiting friends when the incident occurred.
According to Robin Candy, chairman of the Greenwood Park CPF the woman is in her 30s.
He said he was horrified and appalled by the savage attack. “The suspect had reportedly used a bush knife to maim the victim. There was so much blood. She has a huge gash on the right side of her face. All I could smell as the scene was the heavy stench of blood,” he said.
He said the extent of her injuries made it difficult to determine how many times the man had slashed her in the face.
According to Candy, the woman had to be taken to hospital in a police van.
The woman’s attacker fled into the bushes shortly after the assault. No traces of alcohol was found at the scene, and it is unclear what prompted the savage assault.
This attack follows several other instances of gender violence in the last year. Rose Bell, a Durban North resident, was allegedly shot and killed by her boyfriend, Devon Govender (Metro Police officer), on Tuesday, 19 August. In May, a woman was raped and held hostage by her ex-boyfriend in Greenwood Park.
The 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children starts on 25 November and ends on 10 December and is aimed at raising awareness, influencing behaviour change and securing high level political commitment to end gender violence.
