A Mandela Park couple was left traumatised after being attacked by two men on Saturday 29 May.
Monalisa Feke (25) and Ellen Mponzo (31), who are members of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Intersex (LGBTQI+) community, were reportedly attacked following a brief argument over beers.
The pair is now worried about their safety in the community and has opted to remain indoors.
According to Feke, the incident happened in the early hours on Saturday.
“It was about 04:00 when the incident occurred. I was at my girlfriend’s mum’s house having fun. Then I went to Sibanye Park informal settlement, which is in the nearby area, to look for my girlfriend. As I arrived there, I knocked on the door and Nontembeko (one of my friends) opened. While I was busy talking to Nontembeko asking Mponzo’s whereabouts I saw Bulelani (the alleged perpetrator) looking over my friend’s shoulder,” said Feke, adding she refused to enter the house.
Feke stated that an argument over beers between her and the alleged perpetrator developed.
The argument related to an incident that happened a month ago, according to Feke.
“He pulled me inside the shack and asked me if he ever drank with me. Why am I saying that he swore at me? And I responded that I was also confused because those were my two beers and I didn’t understand why you would swear at me,” said Feke.
She claimed the perpetrator teased her by dragging his hand down her face. In a bid to defend herself, she claimed she accidentally slapped him on the face.
Feke said things got heated and the perpetrator began punching her.
“While he was beating me I pushed him on the chest not knowing that he had an operation. He said I’m hurting him citing that I thought I’m a man. He said he will beat me to stop being a lesbian,” she said, adding Bulelani’s friend also joined in the beating.
Feke said she managed to escape and went back to Mponzo’s mum’s house. When she was a few metres away from the house she noticed that she lost the key.
“I thought I lost the key because initially when I was searching my pockets I couldn’t find it then I went back again. On my way I met my girlfriend who said that she was also beaten by Bulelani because she asked him why he beat me. I asked her to wait for me at another friend’s shack while I went back to check my cap and the key,” she explained, adding that as soon she came inside Bulelani tried to strangled her and beat her again.
She said she managed to take her cap and go.
Feke stated that she dated Mponzo for at least three years now and everyone in the community knows about their relationship.
She said they opened the case at Harare police station on Monday 30 May and Bulelani was arrested the same day, but released without them knowing.
“We heard from the community that he was released and later we received a SMS from the police stating that he is going to appear in court again on July 1,” she complained.
Mponzo said they are now scared to go outside and all they want is for justice to take its course.
Harare Police Station spokesperson Sgt Nosiphiwo Mntengwane confirmed the case.
She said the suspect is going to appear in Khayelitsha Magistrate’s Court on Friday 1 July on a charge of common assault.