‘I was raped by someone I trusted’

‘ALL I wanted was to be healed and connect with my ancestors.'

For a long time Nokwanda (21)* knew she had the calling of being a sangoma, and when she was introduced to a known male healer, she believed it was a gift from the ancestors.

She started consulting with him and thought it was the beginning of good things, and that she had finally found someone who would help with her initiation to become a sangoma.

But she never expected to be brutally violated by the same man she had hoped was her saviour.

Nokwanda's rape ordeal began when the man called her during the early hours of one morning.

‘He said he had a dream about me and that someone was trying to steal my gift using muthi.

‘He asked me to come to his house so we could consult and stop the evil spell while we had time, and I agreed,’ she told the ZO.

According to Nokwanda, she arrived at the sangoma’s house at 4am.

‘When I got there, I realised his family was not there, but I never suspected a thing.

‘I had consulted with him several times before, and trusted and respected him, and I never thought he would cause me any harm.

‘I entered the ancestral hut and he gave me some medicine to drink, which he had done before.

‘I suddenly felt drowsy and everything became hazy. I didn’t know what was happening to my body,

Young woman raped by two men known to her

but I felt drugged.

‘While still trying to figure out what was happening, I found myself lying on the ground with him on top of me. I couldn’t even fight back.

‘I tried to scream but I was losing my strength with every minute that went by. ‘Finally I couldn’t move and was powerless. ‘That’s when he took my clothes off and raped me,’ explained Nokwanda.

According to Nokwanda, she gained consciousness hours later and when she wanted to address what had happened with the man, he threatened her.

‘He told me some girls have tried to get him arrested before, but failed because no one would believe them.

‘I picked myself up, took a taxi home where I soaked myself in the bath and cried the whole day,’ she said.

But while Nokwanda was trying to put the pieces of her life back together, a similar incident occurred when she visited her friend’s house.

According to Nokwanda, she was invited to a get-together where the alcohol was flowing.

‘Later my friend asked her brother to take me home but because he had been taking drugs, he asked for some time to sober up. ‘The rest of the guests had either gone to sleep or left.

‘About 30 minutes later when it was time to take me home, he suddenly changed and pressed me onto the floor and raped me.

'I screamed, but most people were drunk and had passed out so no one heard me,’ she said.

Trying her best to come to terms with what has happened to her, Nokwanda is determined to secure herself a bright future by studying hard.

Do you want to tell your tale in our ‘My Story’ feature with the objective of raising awareness and understanding of different life experiences? Email zulobs@zob.co.za