Yaya Mavundla Shares Horror Story of Her Alleged Assault: “My Scars Bled Until They Were Dry”
- Yaya Mavundla revealed a harrowing incident last month narrating an attack by a security guard in Johannesburg
- Mavundla reported the assault to the police but faced further mistreatment, including arrest and accusations of attacking the security guard
- Supporters, including industry colleagues and fans, expressed sympathy and concern for Mavundla
Award-winning South African transgender activist Yaya Mavundla shared the story of how she was attacked by a security guard on 25 November 2023 in Johannesburg. The media personality narrated the ill-treatment she received after the attack.
Source: Instagram
Yaya Mavundla shares emotional story of her attack
Fashion designer and activist Yaya Mavundla has narrated how she was attacked during the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children and how she ended up in jail after reporting the matter to the police.
Taking to her Instagram page, Yaya, who is on a mission to use her platform to raise awareness about the ongoing violence against women, children and trans people, shared her emotional story. She said the police made it worse because they failed to protect her. Instead, she was arrested and accused of attacking the security guard despite her visible injuries and faced more homophobia and abuse. She said:
"At the police station, I received the highest level of misgendering, abuse, homophobia and everything hateful you can think of. I will never forget it.
"When I requested to get medical attention, at the prison holding cells, they refused. My scars bled until they were dry. I received more hate, transphobia and misgendering when I got to court."
Speaking to Briefly News about the measures that can be taken to educate the public about the LGBTQI+ community, Yaya said there is enough information out there. Still, some people abuse others on purpose because they know they can not face the full wrath of the law. She said:
"To be honest, there is already a lot of information made available for people to learn especially in the cities, at the police stations, there is enough sensitisation already that has been done, the police and mostly government officials do these things on purpose, not doing things by the book because they know they will not be brought to book. The police continue failing South Africans, especially the LGBTIQ+ by choice not because they don’t have the capacity or experience to handle our cases.
"I think going forward is to really make sure that we speak and make sure that our voices are heard and experiences are documented so we expose the injustices we face. We also need to start pressing charges against the police and get those in high places to intervene and I think with the elections closer, it is the right time to make as much noise so our cries are heard and attended to by the government."
Yaya Mavundla's fans sympathise with her
The star's industry colleagues and fans sympathised with her after she shared her story. Many agreed that a lot still needs to be done in this country.
@refilwemodiselle said:
"Norwood Police Station is a big problem... trust me, I know from personal experience. I was once in an endangering situation with all the evidence clear and there and I was asked by a policewoman… Mam, are you sure you weren’t dreaming?
"There was an attempted breaking in at the time and I happened to be heading to bed when I heard someone try to break my door to my room.
"I’m so sorry you had to go through the unsafety of a system that actually doesn’t care about people genuinely. That’s why we feel hopeless in even reporting anything generally. It’s sad. Strength and love over you @yayarsa ♥️ God be your comfort."
@mihlalii_n added:
"I'm so sorry Yaya, sending you lots of love sisi ✨♥️"
@khaya_dladla wrote:
"I’m so sorry babe, sending you lots of love."
@realnomalaga commented:
"Oh, my Yaya. I’m so so sorry to hear something like this happened to you. I cannot believe this is still an issue in our country we face every single day. I am so sorry a soul as pure as yours had to be subjected to such a horrible experience ❤️ I’m with you and I love you❤️"
Yaya Mavundla urges the government to safeguard Grindr users
In more entertainment news, Briefly News reported that Grindr users need protection. These are the sentiments echoed by fashion designer and model Yaya Mavundla. She made a powerful fashion statement at the 15th annual Feather Awards about Grindr victims.
At the awards ceremony, Yaya wore a dress with Grindr-related headlines plastered all over it. According to TshisaLIVE, this was done to bring to the attention the victims who suffer at the hands of criminals on the dating platform.
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Source: Briefly News
