Actress Nomsa Buthelezi is loved by all. It could be presenting or acting, but whenever she is doing her ‘thing’, it is hard not to stare.
The Our Perfect Wedding (OPW) presenter opens up to Move! about how she was almost gang-raped by six men in 2017, which left her devastated.
The 36-year-old also speaks about being a lesbian and how her family is happy for her.
A WOMEN’S WOMAN
Nomsa is in love with a woman she met in Mpumalanga. Not worried about societal norms, Nomsa says, “It’s my choice to date whoever I want. It’s my body. It saddens me that there are still homophobic people in Mzansi.
“It shows we still have a long way to go… Our families are more excited about our relationship than we are... My parents have given me their blessings. So I don’t care what other people think about the way I live my life.”
ESCAPED UNHARMED
Nomsa shares the trauma she faced when she was nearly raped and killed before she escaped while her attackers were trying to take off her clothes.
“They were about six men and I knew some of them. They couldn’t care less about what they were doing; they just wanted what they wanted,” she says. “They pressed me down to the ground. I then screamed and fought back. They let me go after kicking me down to the ground where they even stabbed me in the face. But luckily they did not reach for my eyes.”
The Lockdown star says her martial arts skills and fighting back her attackers helped her escape unharmed. She admits that she is still hurting a year after the incident.
“I am still hurting and disappointed at how men behave in this country, and how things are not getting any better. Not only did they try to force themselves onto me, but they tried to kill me too,” she says.
GETTING HELP
The actress explains that she initially kept the events of that day to herself until she realised that by keeping quiet she would be allowing her perpetrators to bully her and other women. “I did not go for professional help but my family and close friends were there to support me during the hard times,” she says.
“We shouldn’t keep quiet about these things because right now they are out there roaming around the streets bullying other women.”
STANDING UNITED
From the attempted rape incident, Nomsa says she has learnt to not be afraid to fight her own battles and urges other women to do so as well. “They must learn to spread the message so they can warn others about rape,” she says.
“We should stop covering our scars with makeup because we think people will judge us. We must seek help before it’s too late. Rape has pushed many women towards depression and suicide.”
