Duration: 4min 59 sec

Transcript

Translation: UMzantsi Afrika lelona lizwe linamanani aphezulu odlwengulo kwihlabathi liphela. Kumaxesha amaninzi amaxhoba odlwengulo aye angavuli matyala odlwengulo kuba efumana uxinzelelo kubahlobo nasekhaya. Eli libali lentombazana eneminyaka elishumi elinesithoba uZoe wase Tinarha nowadlwengulwa ngowayesakuba sisinqanda mathe sakhe kuDecember womnyaka ophelileyo.

THANDEKA: Post Exposure Prophylaxis – medicines that can help to protect a rape survivor from contracting HIV if the rapist is HIV positive ‘€“ is a right for all South African women. This knowledge helped Zoë follow the correct steps after her ex-boyfriend asked her to accompany him to town and instead raped and beat her in a remote area and later abducted her to his home.

Translation:Kulilungelo laye nawuphina umntu obhinqileyo welo Mzantsi afrika ukuba afumane amachiza anguthintela suleleko kwintsholongwane kagawulayo afumaneka emva kokudlwengulwa.Olu lwazi lwamnceda uZoe ukuba afumane lamachiza emva kokuba wadlwengulwa ngowayesakuba ethandana naye xa wamcela ukuba amkhaphe ukuya edolophini kodwa suka endleni wamisa ematyholweni kwanti   nalapho wamdlwengulela khona embetha wamqweqwedisa emsa kowabo.

ZOE: Ndayokuthathwa pha kokwabo because ndafowunela u-10111 kwi-cellphone afika amapolisa andithatha pha andisa straight e-police station. Ndenza i-statement ukugqiba kwam ukwenza i-statement andithatha andisa e-Provincial (hospital) ndokwenza eza tests ukugqiba kwabo ukwenza ii-tests ndasiwa kwi counseling nda-counsel(ishwa). Nda-test(wa) igazi kwafumaniseka ukuba ndi negative. Ndanikwa esa starter pack seepilisi kwathiwa zendibuye emva kweveki.

Translation: Police came to fetch me after I called 10111 and drove me straight to the police station. I opened a rape charge and they took me immediately to the Provincial Hospital and I went for counseling and blood tests. I tested HIV negative and was given the starter pack (for PEP). I was told to come back in a week’€™s time.

THANDEKA: Wafumana esa starter pack and then emveni koko kwenzeka ntoni?

Translation: What happened after you got the starter pack?

ZOE: Ngalaveki ezokuqala iipilisi zaphela ndaphinda ke ngoku ndanikwa ezinye because kufuneka kengoku ibe yi 30 days uzitya kwakho. Emva kwala 30 days yonke ndaphinde nda test (wa) ndaphinda ndanegative kuneka ndiye kengoku emva kwe three months.

Translation: I have finished taking first week supply and I got a 30 days supply. I tested HIV negative again after 30 days and I’€™ll be going back again for my next appointment in three months time.

THANDEKA: Ingaba ke njengokuba ulixhoba lodlwengulo yaye udlwengulwa ngumntu omaziyo and umntu owawuvana naye waziva njani?

Translation: You’€™re a victim of someone you knew and who happened to be your boyfriend. How did you feel when after the incident?

ZOE:Ndandino msindo towards yena but ingxaki endiyifumenyo emva kwalonto ngabahlali lonto ngabahlali. Abahlali abayiqondi into yokuba ngaba nomntu omaziyo okanye uthandana naye uyakwazi ukukudlwengula because babesenza ii-coments ukubangaba hayi njani ukuba ambambe okugqiba ingumntu wakhe. Phofu umna i-problem ndayifumana kubahlali isikakhulu because ndaya ndaba ngumntu o-wrong(o) ngoku kubangaba ndimbambisile.

Translation: I was angry towards him. The community has been my main problem because they are the ones who have made my life difficult because of comments they pass. They say that I shouldn’€™t have opened a case against him because he is my boyfriend. In their eyes I became a bad person.

THANDEKA: Ingaba uphi kengoku?

Translation: Where is he now?

ZOE: Ukhona because ii-families zethu zathetha ndacengwa, ndayicima i-case.

Translation: He is around. Because our families have begged me not to go ahead with the case, I dropped rape charges against him.

THANDEKA: Ingaba ke yintoni eyenza ukuba abantu bawacime amatyala abawabeka abo bathi badadlwengule. UNosisi Nangu, ophuma kwiZiko iThuthuzela nothi ajongane nezenzo zokuhlukunyezwa kwakunye nemiba yoluntu nosebenza necandelo lotshutshiso kwiNational Prosecuting Authority uthi benza unako nako ukuba uluntu luyazi ukuba udlwengulo lunyashana namalungelo oluntu yaye umntu owenze eso senzo kufuneka atshutshiswe.

Translation: It is common that rape survivors withdraw rape charges against their perpetrators. What could be the reason to this change of heart? Nosisi Nangu, a Site Coordinator for Sexual Offences and Community Affairs at Thuthuzela Centre, who also work in the National Prosecuting Authority in the Eastern Cape, says that people should know that rape is violation of human rights and the perpetrators need to be prosecuted.

NOSISI: Isinika ubunzima siyi Unit ngenxa yokuba siyazama nyani ngandlela zonke into yokuba abantu mabeze ngaphambili ukuba bazoku report(a) ii-cases zabo but asikwazi inot yokuba umntu simnyanzele sithi kuye hayi sukuyicima i-case yakho. Kanti naxa evula i-case asiyi simnyanzele sithi vula i-case ke ngoku. Into esiyenzayo siyambonisa amabakala ekufuneka into yokuba abe uhamba wona then a-decide ke ngokwakhe ukuba makayivule. Ikakhulu ii-cases ezicinywayo apha ngabantu mhlawumbi ebedlwengulwe yi-boyfriend okanye i-ex-boyfriend kuba mhlawumbi ebenalanto benokuxabana okuthile kunye nalo ex-boyfriend then abone yena ke ukuba makahambe ndiyokumbamba lo mntu   because undithathe ndingafuni. Emva koko uyaphinda kwiveki elandelayo uyabhala kwakhona ileta athi ndizokucima i-case yam. Asikwazi ke ukuma phambi kwakhe nangona siyi Unit sizama ngandlela yonke ukuba umntu makangayicimi i-case yakhe but singakwazi ukuba masime ngaphambi kwakhe.

Translation: We try to convince our clients that it is proper for them to lay charges against perpetrators, we don’€™t encourage them to drop the charges, but the decision lies with them. Instead we try to give them choices and the final decision will come from them whether they will open a case or not. Most of cases that we see are of women who are raped either by a boyfriend or an ex-boyfriend. It happens that there was a misunderstanding and mostly the survivor decides to lay a rape charge if a boyfriend forced her to have sex against her will. In a week’€™s time they write back asking the court to drop the charges.

THANDEKA:   NgokweNgxelo yezizwe kweZempilo IWHO Kwiminyaka emibini eyadlulayo kwaphaya eTinarha imveku eneenyanga ezine yathi yadlwengulwa ngutata wayo nokungoku nje uthothoza kwesimnyama isisele ngenxa yesisenzo. Unkosikazi Nompumelelo Khinzela nongunina womntwana osele eneminyaka emibini ngoku, uthi ukudlwengulwa kosana lwakhe kusamhleli kabuhlungu.

THANDEKA: Ngokwe ngxelo eyenziwe ngumbutho wezizwe ezimanyeneyo kweZempilo i-WHO negxile kakhulu kumba wohlukunyezo kwkunye nezempilo ithi inkosikzai enye kumakhosikazi amahlanu iye ifumane ukudlakatheliswa ngokwesondo ngulowo athi athandane naye. Kuphando olwenziwe kumazwe afana neCanada, iFinland, iSwitzerland, Britane kwakunye neMerika kuqikelelwa ukuba zi 2% ukuya kwi 13% samakhosikazi athi abengamaxhoba odlwengulo okanye ukusinda ekudlwengulweni. Nalapha eMzantsi Afrika oku kuyafana, kwidolophu yase Tinarha kwiminyak emibini eyadlulayo usana olunenyanga ezisibhozo lwathi lwadlwengulwa ngutata walo. Unompulelo Khinzela nongu nina wolusana uthi nangona umyeni wakhe wathi wagwetywa iminyaka engamashumi amabini entolongweni kodwa akakaxoli kuba uhleli eyiva intlungu yokudlwengulwa komntwan wakhe.

Translation: A WHO Report on Violence and Health suggests that one in five women may experience sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. In national studies on sexual violence conducted in Canada, Finland, Switzerland, Great Britain, and the United States of America, between 2% and 13% of women report being the victim of either an attempted or completed rape by a partner in their lifetime.

The pattern in South Africa is similar. In Uitenhage, two years ago an eight month old baby was raped by her father. Nompumelelo Khinzela the mother of the child says even after her husband was sentenced for twenty years she still feels the pain of what happened to her child.

NOMPUMELELO: Ngoku izinto azisafani nakuqala kuba kwathi lakugwetywa ityala ndeva ukuba kuthe gingxi kum kuba   yayininzi into eyayithethekayo ukuba ndiyamxoka izithuko eziphoswa kum. Wafumana isigwebo ndaqonda ndixolile nokuba sinjani na.

Translation: Now, everything is much better. When he was found guilty I felt satisfied it didn’€™t matter what kind of sentence he was given.

THANDEKA: Lide elaxesha umane usiya ema-court apha kuwe engqondweni bekusenzeka ntoni ngokomphefumlo ke?

Translation: It’€™s been a long time since you have been going in and out of court. What has been in your mind and how did you feel psychologically?

NOMPUMELELO: Ingqondo yam, ibingathathi kakuhle kangangento yokuba nangoku ndihlala ndihlale   ndifune apha ngaphakathi ukuba kwakusenzeka ntoni wayecinge ntoni na lo mntu ukuze enze lento akugqiba ukuba ngumntwana wakhe isana. Ingqondo yakhe yayiphi ngelaxesha wayesenza lento.

Translation: I was mentally disturbed. I could not focus properly. Even now I try to figure out in my mind what made my husband to commit rape when the child is his own child. Where was his mind when he raped her?

THANDEKA: Ingaba walucela uxolo?

Translation: Did he ask for forgiveness?

NOMPUMELELO: Akazanage acele xolo engazange abonise kudana for isenzo zwasenzayo.Uyakhanyela uthi akanakuze ayenze lonto leyo emntaneni wakhe ndingayazi ke ngoku ukuba yenziwe ngubani na kuba umntwana ushiyeke naye e-room(ini) akukho mntu zi wardrobes nonopopi.

Translation: He never showed any remorse for what he has done. He still denies that he raped the child but what’€™s funny is that he was left in the house with a child and there only things were there were him, wardrobes and the dolls.

E-mail Thandeka Teyise