Formerly from Roosboom and now a graduate in BTech Management from Durban University of Technology, Zinhle Khoza is a young woman who speaks out about women abuse.
Being part of a peer education programme for two years, her engagement began when she joined the programme and saw the need for educating the youth. “I always wanted to be the voice of voiceless young women, and now I have the opportunity. The programme is about assisting women who are being abused; and speaking to peers about drugs, alcohol, toxic relationships and safe sexual intercourse.”
Zinhle is a lady who strongly supports women empowerment.
Her message to the youth is to ‘turn your wounds into pearls of wisdom’. She says there are far too many silent sufferers, not because they don’t yearn to reach out, but because they’ve tried and found no one who cares.
She says the abuse doesn’t start by being told you’re not good enough or being beaten, it’s in the subtle messages where the abuser makes you believe that the private world you share together is the only important thing in your life.
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“Control is the centrepiece of abuse,” emphasises Zinhle. She believes that control comes about in the following way: “You are manipulated into believing that the whole thing is your fault. Every decision you make is wrong in his or her eyes, not realising that in fact you’re being abused.”
Her advice is: “Sometimes being strong is not about appearing brave and putting on a smile. It’s not about acting as if you’re the happiest person in the world. Being strong is about humbling yourself, swallowing your feelings of pride and humiliation, and being able to cry. Remember to be kind to yourself.”
Zinhle ends off by saying, ”DON’T GIVE UP!”
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