Dr JS Moroka’s Type 2 crew leader, Evelyn Mthethwa, broke her silence on the abuse she suffered at the hands of her ex-boyfriend several years ago.

Mthethwa explains that her boyfriend was verbally and physically very abusive. She said her child would ask why the father had left, but she had avoided telling her child the truth. Mthethwa believes that the time has come for her to break the silence on abuse against women and children and she wants to tell her child why she broke up with the father.

“I remember one day he pulled my round earring and ripped my ear. I was lucky only a tiny part was torn. But I can’t wear earrings because of that brutal experience. I am living with the scars of that brutal relationship,” she says.

She explained how beatings were so normal, she thought they were a sign of her boyfriend’s love. “He could have killed me had I stayed longer in that relationship,” says Mthethwa. “I am urging people to denounce abuse in relationships and report it to the relevant authorities. Abuse of men, women and children can’t be tolerated and swept under the carpet,” says Mthethwa.

Commemorating this year’s 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children, Mthethwa says the team has prepared a play that it will perform at a children’s home to raise awareness.