A 19-year-old student of Nelson Mandela University in South Africa, Sesethu Enhle Mboza, has committed suicide after she was brutally raped by a fellow student.
According to advocacy group, Women For Change, Mboza took her life on 29 October 2025.
“After allegedly being raped in October, Sesethu opened a case with the police. The perpetrator was arrested but later released on bail,” the group said in a statement on Sunday.
“Despite this, Nelson Mandela University failed to take adequate action, allowing her alleged attacker to remain on campus.
“Sesethu suffered from severe trauma and panic attacks after repeatedly seeing her perpetrator on campus, the very place where she should have felt safe.
“Women For Change is deeply shocked and outraged that a student charged with rape was allowed to return to campus, the very environment where his victim should have felt protected and supported. This is not only a failure of compassion but a complete disregard for the safety and mental well-being of survivors. Where are the Gender-Based Violence policies that universities are required to have in place to protect their students? Survivors should never have to relive their trauma by crossing paths with their perpetrators.
“We call on Nelson Mandela University and all higher education institutions to take full accountability and urgently strengthen their GBV response mechanisms. No survivor should ever be left feeling unsafe, unheard, or unsupported within a place of learning. Sesethu’s life mattered. She deserves justice.”
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