Johannesburg - There are over 39 828 rape cases reported in South Africa, according to Africa Check, and the number seems to be fearfully on the rise.
Actress and Our Perfect Wedding presenter Nomsa Buthelezi almost became one of those statistics when she nearly lost her life during an attempted rape in August last year.
A still-shaken Nomsa shares with DRUM the details of the gruesome night that changed her life.
While walking out of a friend’s party in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg Nomsa and another female friend were attacked by six knife-carrying men.
"It was the worst day of my life, I thought I was going to die," she tears up.
"We were leaving and about to get into the car when these men robbed us of our belongings and tried to rape us. We kicked, screamed and fought."
While trying to wrestle with the men Nomsa was stabbed in the eye. "I almost lost my eye, the scar you see on my character on Lockdown is real."
Nomsa says she fought for her life: "I did not back down."
The 35-year-old had been attending martial arts classes for her character Supermama in the film The Adventures of Supermama.
"I used some of the moves we had been taught for Supermamma and some of the guys managed to run away. They told me straight that they wanted to rape me," she says.
Nomsa says she has never spoken about the incident because she was still shaken.
"Even today I fear driving at night, but I can’t live in fear all of my life. I was traumatised because those men could have killed me."
She didn’t lay a charge because she didn’t have a clue who the men were and where to start. "You don’t want that sort of thing to happen to your worst enemy."
In light of national Women’s Month and the #TotalShutdown march, which took place across the country on Wednesday, Nomsa urges men to take a stand and start making a change in their homes.
