Lesotho: Raped by a ruthless man

My name is Makhokolotso Metsing and I live in Thaba-Tseka. I am an orphan and I was living with my grandparents from my father’s side. They were taking really good care of me and there was never a time when I would wish that my parents were around instead. I was granny’s little girl. But still, I would miss my parents.

One day, I was sent to another village and it was very far from where I was living. On my way, I met a man and he told me he was going to the same place as I was going, so walked together. We chatted and he seemed like a very respectful man. He told me about his children.

We got to a place called Likhoele, and apparently that was where he lived. He convinced me to go with him to a nearby house. He claimed it was his uncle’s place and we would just greet him and continue with our journey.

When we got there, there was nobody there and he pretended that he was talking to somebody on the phone. When he was done, he told me that he was talking to his uncle and he had said that he was not around, but we could go inside and have some food. Since I was tired and hungry, I was relieved that I could have something for my stomach and would regain my energy back.

He asked me to come inside and and he prepared some food for us. For a moment, I was suspicious because he knew where everything was, just like the owner of the house, but I dismissed the thought because maybe he visited his uncle a lot. Maybe he knew all of his uncle’s stuff, but I was right, it was actually his place. When we were done eating, I reminded him that we still had a long journey to go, so we should get going. He changed the subject immediately and I wondered why he was doing.

I asked him if I could leave him because he seemed to not want to go anymore. I told him I had go but he said that I was not going anywhere. He locked the door. I asked him what he was doing and why he was saying that I was not able to go. He took away the blankets from the bed and got out a gun, I cried. He told me that I should not cry because he was just going to do what he thought I knew already. He pointed the gun at me and told me that he would only release me after he had made sure that he had made me pregnant.

Holding me at gunpoint, he stripped me of my clothes. He pushed me to the floor and forced himself inside me. I was still a virgin and did not know about sex. It was very painful. He said that I should make sure that I conceive. How would I know whether I was pregnant? I started making a lot of noise he put a cloth inside my mouth so that people could not hear me.

He had sex with me for about one hour without stopping. When he was done, he asked me what I wanted him to do with me. I did not know how to answer; I was shaking and praying that he should not kill me.

He punched me with his gun on my face and he forced his whole hand in my vagina, it was painful. He told me that he wanted to take out my womb. I just could not believe him, I begged for his forgiveness, but he did not listen.

I think I fainted when he actually removed my womb because I only remember when he was telling me that he was going to remove it. I woke up in the hospital after some time and they told me how I got to the hospital. They told me that after removing my womb, he threw me somewhere in the bush and that is where I was found. I don’t have a womb now because of that ruthless man.

Makhokolotso Metsing lives in Lesotho. This story is part of the “I” Stories series produced by the Gender Links Opinion and Commentary Service for the Sixteen Days of Activism on Gender Violence.