South African Woman Loses Left Eye After Man Smashed Her Face

A savage attack on a 25-year-old woman from Somerset West in Cape Town, South Africa, who was apparently rejecting the approaches of an undesirable suitor resulted in the loss of her left eye.

Zizipho Nikita Kalubi said that on Saturday, August 26, 2023, at around 2 pm, she and her boyfriend were returning from running errands when they encountered the accused offender, a man she had only met a few times in Khayelitsha Town Two, and he started harassing her.

Speaking to reporters on September 1st, the south African lady claimed that the man began by catcalling her and using derogatory language, as he often did whenever he saw her.

“As a young woman, I’m not a stranger to how men can harass you, so when he started saying ‘Hey sexy, I want you’, making his crude remarks, I ignored it and continued to walk with my boyfriend.

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“He once tried to touch me, but I never thought he would be so bold with my boyfriend next to me. However, that day he only got worse and even walked up to us.

“Seeing how bad it was getting, my boyfriend asked him to leave me alone, and I thought he would stop so we continued walking. We’d been walking for just a few metres when he suddenly appeared in front of us again, and this time I couldn’t ignore that he was right there because before I knew it, he slammed a brick into my face so hard that I fell back and lost consciousness,” she said.

After the attack, the South African lady stated she doesn’t recall what happened before being brought to Khayelitsha Hospital, where her injuries were treated and she received stitches before being moved to Tygerberg Hospital for more care.

“At Tygerberg, they told me that my left eye was severely damaged, that it was so bad it would have to be removed. They also told me my nose was fractured.

“My mom, whom I had called at some point during the ordeal, thought we should get a second opinion. She took me to Vergelegen Hospital here in Somerset, only to be told the same thing, my left eye needed to be removed.”

She had her left eye removed in surgery on Tuesday, August 28. She is currently awaiting the healing of her injuries before the hospital implants a prosthetic eye.

Commenting on Kalubi’s ordeal, Harare Community Action Network (CAN) Founder Khanya Qongqo said: “As someone who advocates against the abuse of women and children, I was deeply touched by Nikita’s story, how in just a twinkle of an Hueye you can end up being part of GBV statistics.

“It is disgusting and sobering that as women we cannot peacefully walk to the shops, constantly living in fear of what could happen to us, and the fact that this happened during Women’s Month is so disheartening.”