WALKING the long and challenging road to justice and healing with the support of her family members and community, gender-based violence survivor, Domanique van der Haar, 19, will take the stand to testify against the man who held her captive and beat her for three hours, on October 5.
Domanique’s family and friends, who have joined to support her after she was brutally attacked, will hold a placard demonstration outside the Wentworth Magistrate’s Court ahead of the case, and urge those who wish to show solidarity against gender-based violence, by joining them to make their voices heard.
24-year-old Jaleel Lindhorst, who lives one house away from Domanique in the close-knit Wentworth community, was charged for attempted murder and was granted bail of R500 on August 26. Despite him violating a protection order taken out against him on August 25, Lindhorst was rearrested and again, granted bail.
Domanique’s sister, Donne van der Haar, said the family will also call for stricter laws against those who are charged for violent attacks against women, who remain vulnerable when men who attack them are granted bail and allowed to intimidate victims due to unstricted bail conditions.
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“Those who wish to join us to stand against these types of crimes against women, can carry their placards and dress in orange or yellow, which are the colours that represent a brighter future, free from violence. We hope that through these efforts, we create awareness to the plight of not only my sister, but all other women who face the same fate and have to deal with the ongoing abuse thereafter, even when they almost lost their lives. The accused needs to be rearrested and remain behind bars until he is sentenced. Our family cannot live peacefully after the incident as Lindhorst tries to provoke family members and has tried to intimidate us by using the law. He has zero remorse for his actions,” said Donne.
Dominique’s family was happy to note that she was making good progress since the ordeal, however, said they were concerned that she still suffers with unilateral hearing loss.
“She is still visiting a psychologist regularly, who is assisting her with overcoming the mental trauma that she has been left with. She has also enrolled at a self-defence class at a local gym. She has been off sick and has missed college for more than a month, however, she returns to continue her studies in October,” Donne said.
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