“THE justice system has failed me.”
This was said by 27-year-old Nompumelelo Mkhize after an e-hailing driver who knocked her teeth out in October, was granted bail.
He appeared in the Joburg Magistrates Court on Thursday, 24 November.
Daily Sun published Nompumelelo’s ordeal on 19 October, under the headline: Taxi ride ends in assault.
In the story, she detailed how the driver brutally assaulted her on 15 October after she requested a ride on the app from Joburg CBD to Auckland Park.
She said the driver picked her up in the CBD and they had a dispute over change. After she got off the car, she went to his window to get change. But instead, the driver held her hand and punched her in the face. He then started driving and dragging her on the road. The man was later arrested.
Reacting to the news of his bail, Nompumelelo said she felt let down.
She said losing her teeth and being bruised all over her body lowered her self-esteem and at some point, she felt like killing herself.
“This man put me through hell but he is out there living his life while I am going up and down, and spending money for medical help,” she said.
She added that she was struggling to face people on the streets and had nightmares about the incident.
“My mind is all over the place. I am not well but if the law doesn’t find him at fault, then I guess there is nothing I can do,” she said.
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Gender-based violence activist Cynthia Dinalane and founder of Tsegofatsa Rona Care Centre in Kempton Park, who has been helping Nompumelelo since the incident, said she was not happy with bail.
“This means the rate of gender-based violence will go high. This means we are fighting a losing battle. We want a harsh sentence for perpetrators so they can learn. What happens if Nompumelelo requests for an e-hailing taxi again and meet up with the same guy?”
