In a deeply distressing account, a 26-year-old woman from Cape Town has bravely come forward to share the horrifying details of a violent assault allegedly committed by her boyfriend. Sinovuyo Mzayiya, who has since gone viral after posting before-and-after photos of the attack on social media, recounted the terrifying ordeal to TimesLIVE.
The images she shared starkly contrast her appearance before the attack—her hair neatly braided and her face unharmed—with the bruises, cuts, and hair loss she suffered during the assault.
Mzayiya explained that the incident occurred in the early hours of Monday morning while she was visiting a friend in Nyanga Crossroads. She intended to spend the night, but her 36-year-old boyfriend arrived around 1 a.m., insisting she leave with him. The situation quickly escalated into a nightmare.
“He came to fetch me, telling me I should go with him. As soon as I stepped outside, he started beating me and dragged me by pulling my hair,” Mzayiya recalled, her voice trembling as she described the sudden onset of violence.
The assault intensified as her boyfriend repeatedly struck her with a rock, targeting her head and face. “He hit me with a rock several times without stopping. The scars on my face look like stab wounds, but they were caused by the repeated blows. Whenever I fell, he would pull my hair to lift me and continue the attack,” she said.
Despite managing to escape and run back to her friend’s house, crying for help, her boyfriend continued his assault undeterred. Mzayiya shared that local community members tried to intervene, but their efforts were in vain. “Even as they tried to stop him, he didn’t care. He insulted them and threatened to beat them as well,” she said.
The reason for the attack, according to Mzayiya, was her failure to answer her phone when her boyfriend called. This seemingly minor incident fueled his rage, leading to the brutal assault.
Following the attack, Mzayiya went to the police station to file a report and sought medical attention for her injuries. The wounds on her face and scalp required stitches, and the physical and emotional toll has been overwhelming. “I don’t want my son to see me like this,” she said, her voice filled with pain and fear.
Although Mzayiya reported the attack, her boyfriend has yet to be arrested. “The police have been looking for him, but he hasn’t been found. He’s not at his place. I fear for my life and plan to get a protection order against him,” she added, frustration and sadness evident in her voice.
Mzayiya, who had been dating the man for a year, expressed her shock at the sudden violence. “He had never beaten me before. I was in complete shock when he started. I didn’t know he was capable of this. Since I spoke about the abuse, people have told me he was violent towards his former partner,” she said.
Determined to prevent him from harming anyone else, Mzayiya posted the photos online, which quickly gained thousands of views. “I posted the pictures because I wanted to expose him. I feel hurt, confused, and have so many questions about what happened. I don’t want him to hurt another woman again,” she explained.
Despite his attempts to contact her and ask for forgiveness through mutual friends, Mzayiya remains resolute. “This is the first time this has happened to me, and I don’t want anything to do with him,” she said, still reeling from the trauma.
Western Cape police spokesperson Anelisiwe Manyana confirmed that a case of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm was registered at the Nyanga police station following the incident on August 19. The investigation is ongoing, but no arrests have been made at this time.