A 19-year-old learner attending Nelson Mandela University located in South Africa, named Sesethu Enhle Mboza, ended her own life by suicide following a savage s*xual assault perpetrated against her by another student at the institution.
As reported by the activist organization known as Women For Change, it was on October 29, 2025, that Mboza chose to take her own life.
“After allegedly being r@ped in October, Sesethu opened a case with the police. The perpetrator was arrested but later released on bail,” the group said in a statement on Sunday.
“Despite this, Nelson Mandela University neglected to implement sufficient measures, thereby permitting her supposed assailant to continue staying present on the university grounds.
“Sesethu endured intense psychological distress and episodes of acute anxiety after encountering her assailant multiple times around the campus premises, which ought to have been the one location above all where she could experience a true sense of security and protection.
“Women For Change expresses profound dismay and intense anger regarding the fact that an individual student facing charges of rape was permitted to come back onto the campus setting, precisely the surroundings in which his targeted victim deserved to be shielded and provided with proper assistance. Such an occurrence represents far more than just a lapse in empathy; it constitutes an utter dismissal of the essential security needs and emotional health considerations for those who have survived such violations. What has become of the mandatory Gender-Based Violence guidelines that educational institutions like universities are obligated to establish and maintain specifically for safeguarding their enrolled students? Those who have endured survival through these ordeals must never again be forced to confront and re-experience the horrors of their past ordeals simply by accidentally coming into contact with those responsible for their suffering.
“We call on Nelson Mandela University and all higher education institutions to take full accountability and urgently strengthen their GBV response mechanisms. No survivor should ever be left feeling unsafe, unheard, or unsupported within a place of learning. Sesethu’s life mattered. She deserves justice.”
A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.
Nnamdi Okoli