Mutilated and left to die

8

GIFT Baloyi* won’t ever be able to have children. Without an incredibly difficult and rare surgery, the 13-year-old child will never even be able to urinate properly.

He is bullied by other teenage boys in Ivory Park, mocked for being the victim of a horrific attack.

But the teenager has shown incredible strength and resilience, surviving wounds that could have killed an adult.

For the past year and a half, he’s coped with half a dozen invasive reconstructive surgeries.

He has been the star witness in the criminal trial against the two neighbours who mutilated him and has been praised by the presiding judge for his truthful and steadfast testimony.

Gift has also recently returned to Grade 7, where he desperately wants to succeed.

In April 2016, Gift was kidnapped outside his family’s modest home in Ivory Park, Midrand, lured by his neighbours who asked him to walk with them.

At an open field near the local informal settlement, one of the three men began to strangle him, holding him until he lost consciousness.

When he awoke a short while later, he felt a massive pain reaching from his stomach down to his groin.

The men had used a sharp, dirty instrument to remove his genitals entirely. Limping towards passers-by, covered in blood, the panicked child screamed for help.

Gift was rushed by ambulance to Tembisa hospital, where he was able to tell medical staff and a police officer that his neighbours had committed the crime. “The police thought he was going to die. He was so badly injured,” said Paul Nel, the prosecutor who recently managed to convict Titos Cuna and Lazarus Mhlongo for the brutal attack.

The police arrived at Gift’s neighbour’s house, arresting every person they could find inside.

It became a major sticking point during the high court criminal proceedings, but police officers decided to do an informal ID parade in Gift’s hospital room, where he pointed out Cuna and Mhlongo as the perpetrators.

It was Nel’s argument during the trial that had Gift died during surgery, there would have been no way to identify the perpetrators. Police was convinced his injuries would have caused his death.

But in what Nel described as “miraculous”, Gift survived the surgery, and in between the subsequent operations trying to reconstruct his body, he testified against the two attempted murderers.

“He was incredible. Better than many adult witnesses I’ve worked with. (Gift) stuck to his guns, and told the court everything. He was never intimidated,” said Nel.

However, it was never established why Gift was attacked. Nel suspected it may have been a muti-related attack, but police were never able to find any evidence to prove this. Gift’s body parts are still missing.

On January 18, Judge Maletsatse Mahalelo sentenced Cuna and Mhlongo to an effective 18 years in prison for the attempted murder and kidnapping, noting they had been terrible witnesses who lacked credibility.

The two men had tried to claim they had been at the hair salon they ran in Tembisa at the time of the attack, but could never prove this alibi, despite initially claiming they had a witness who could corroborate their story.

But even with a successful conviction, Gift’s mother, Louisa*, expected more. “I wanted a life sentence for what they did. But I don’t blame (Nel),” she said this week.

When he was first brought in for his initial surgeries, Gift was barely able to communicate with strangers.

Dr Nico Lourens, the urologist who worked with Gift for months, said the teenager’s journey was – and remains – a struggle.

“There was this sense of despondency, an overwhelming sense of loss. It took some time before he opened up again,” Lourens said.

But he too was won over by Gift’s quiet strength. “He wants to move forward. He’s apprehensive, but he’s also motivated to keep going.”

But Gift’s prognosis is bleak. His first few surgeries were difficult, with doctors unable to create a new penis for the child.

His urinary tract had to be recreated but attempts to reconstruct the organ have been unsuccessful.

A recent surgery, where muscle and tissue from Gift’s forearm were taken to create a faux-penis that would allow him to urinate without a catheter failed after his urinary tract became blocked.

A solution, according to Lourens, is a penis transplant but this can only happen when Gift comes out of his teens and a donor is made available.

Professor André van der Merwe, who performed South Africa’s first successful penis transplant at Tygerberg Academic Hospital in 2015, agreed that Gift would have to be more mature before a transplant could take place.

“In the meantime, psychological support is extremely important until then, as he might develop coping mechanisms such as drugs or alcohol that might preclude him from going on the transplant programme due to the risk of non-adherence to the medication he will need,” said Van der Merwe.

“He is welcome to come and see me, although this is not strictly needed until he is about 20,” he said.

The soft-spoken teenager is turning 14 this month, but he hasn’t grown much since the attack.

“I remember how much he used to love playing soccer, but now he stays inside,” Louisa said, adding that she doesn’t know how she can help her child now that she is unemployed.

She left her job after the attack because, between operations, Gift needed a huge amount of care at their home.

But the costs of transporting him between Steve Biko Academic Hospital for his monthly hormone treatments and other medical needs have taken their toll.

Louisa struggles to afford the transportation costs for his monthly psychological counselling.

Phindi Mjonondwane, a spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, heard about Gift’s situation through Nel and has since made it her personal mission to help him with treatment.

Earlier this week, Mjonondwane met with activist and television personality Andile Gaelesiwe, and the pair are trying to find sponsorship to create a trust for the teenager’s future medical costs.

After being contacted by the Saturday Star this week, Women and Men Against Child Abuse director, Miranda Jordan-Friedmann, promised her organisation would help his family with extra counselling and transportation twice a month.

lf you are interested in contributing to Gift’s trust or his transportation plan, please contact shain.germaner@inl.co.za.

* Not their real names

Gift Baloyi, 13, (not his real name) who was kidnapped outside his home and had his genitals removed, is recovering at his home in Tembisa. Two suspects believed to be neighbours are serving 18 years behind bars for the crime.

PICTURE: SHARON SERETLO NPA spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane has taken it upon herself to help Gift Baloyi after he was mutilated by his neighbours.