*This article contains graphic imagery that may disturb sensitive viewers.
Earlier this month, a woman from Cape Town put her own life at risk to save an elderly man who was being robbed right in front a store in the middle of the street.
Ronelle Prins, who is a gender-based violence (GBV) survivor, was brave enough to share her story with Cape {town} Etc with the intention of spreading awareness and speaking on behalf of other women who might have experienced a similar situation.
She was brutally attacked in Grassy Park, and allegedly reached out to the owner of the convenience store by asking him to open the gates as she “begged and cried for help”.
The owner reportedly refused. “All he said was ‘go away!’ while blood was pouring from my head and running down my face and body,” Prins wrote in a Facebook post.
She describes how the incident happened in broad daylight while cars were driving right past her, watching how she was beaten in the middle of Victoria Road.
Prins says after eventually receiving help from a couple who she thanks in the same Facebook post, she went to a local police station to ask for help. However, police were allegedly not as helpful as she thought they would be.
“It’s nice to know that ‘Sorry my shift is over, I can’t help you’ is the way you help your community while almost running out of the station to do whatever the hell it is you do once your civic responsibilities have been ‘met’” she expressed.
“Knowing our country, I’d probably be vilified for choosing to help someone that was in need… Society showed me a truth that we don’t really want to believe, especially when it comes to GBV.
“I am a female;
“Several men drove past me and watched how helpless I was, but chose to do nothing;
“A man refused to provide me sanctuary;
“A man refused to open a case for me;
“A man laughed at me when he saw what I looked like,” she said.
Prins told Cape {town} Etc that her hand was completely broken in two places, and will be losing up to six months of income as she is a mobile hairstylist, and her hands are her work. She is currently looking after her mother who has been diagnosed with cancer, and her family is suffering a big blow as a result of her lack of income.
“I’ve never been as afraid as I am now of walking in [an] area I practically grew [up] in,” she expressed to Cape {town} Etc in disappointment, adding how despondent she is after her negative experience in dealing with the police.
She also has not yet made another attempt to open a case as she fears for her life and safety.
If you are by the means to help ease her financial strain while she recovers physically and emotionally from this traumatic experience, please visit https://www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/ronelle-prins to donate.
Her Backabuddy fundraiser was first aimed at helping her mobile business, but she has changed it since to help her mother with cancer treatment, medication and care.
As a close-knit Cape Town community, now is the time to help those in need, just as Prins helped a fellow Capetonian by sacrificing her own life to come to his rescue.
The United Nations marked the annual 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence from November 25 to December 10, 2021. We at Cape {town} Etc will be using our platform to raise awareness over this period.
“Gender-based violence and femicide is not a secondary priority. It is not a women’s issue. Gender-based violence is overwhelmingly and unequivocally a human rights issue.” – President Cyril Ramaphosa.
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Picture/s: Ronelle Prins / Supplied