South Africa: Juliet Keamogelo Machacha

My name is Juliet Keamogelo Machacha. I’m a single girl who is just 20 years old.

I’m currently from a small town known as Danielskuil. By the age of 15, I was sexually harassed by my own niece, and I had no one to open up with because no one wanted to hear my voice or my cry. I took smoke as my therapy. As time goes on, I decide that I’m going to go to a police member for help, but little did I know they were all working together, and the hurting part is I never got help, so then I talked to my aunt, telling her what’s going on at home. She took me, and I went to stay at her house for a period of time. Then, after a lot was going on, I had to move back to the previous house because I had nowhere to go and Mama’s house didn’t have electricity; it was blocked. I went back and stayed there, but he did not stop. He continued, and the hurting part is that her mother knew what exactly was going on. So, I had no choice but to stay at my mother’s house, and things didn’t go well. I was alone in a house without electricity or food, but there was one person who was always there, and it was Jesus.

I was writing my December examinations, and my uncle decided to take me and go stay with him because I couldn’t wake up every morning preparing fire for me and all that stuff, so I agreed to go stay with him because I trusted him, my mother’s brother, so yeah, but little did I know he was worse. I went to one of my friend’s to go and study, so I returned home late. I knocked; he came by the door and opened. I remember he told me either you go sleep by the shack or go back where you came from. I was like, Okay, let me go grab the key and go sleep inside the shack, and by that time it was dark. Okay, I went inside the house, and he told me there’s the key by the board; go fetch it by the Tim. I reached the board. I told him there’s no key here. Uncle then he told me, “Sheba sentle wena gao blind,” and it was the time when he was locking the door. I turned, and he was already in front of me, and he raped me. I never talked about it. I kept quiet because I already knew that no one was willing to help me. After all that, I went to school, but I didn’t concentrate at school. Then I decided to drop out, but one of my friends will come and fetch me. On the 14th of February 2022, it was the time when I decided to leave that place and go far away, and it was the time I came to my auntie in Kimberly. Things were okay until I got raped again by her son-in-law, and that time I didn’t let it slide. I went to the police and reported the matter. I finally got help and also a place to stay at Women to Women organizations, and here I am today still standing, and again, I’m not defined by my past or mistake; I am who God said I am.

This whole drama drained me mentally, emotionally, and physically to the point whereby I tried several times to commit suicide, and I started to have anger issues, and I didn’t care anymore.