Khanyi, 35, who lives in a shelter for abused women, has turned her story of darkness into a bright future through fabrics, cotton and a pair of scissors.
"When I am given a piece of fabric, I can cut it up into pieces and sew it back together to tell my story of many years of abuse. It is healing," she said.
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One of the dresses she has made bears the design of a pregnant woman bleeding after being stabbed.
"The dress has a patch which has a mouth and a zip on it, which symbolises my silence. I have also made an apron and oven gloves to remind myself that I loved cooking for him, even though he continued to beat me."
Khanyi is one of 40 women from Gauteng who have been given hundreds of metres of fabric to craft their healing journey through the Edgars Unite programme, in partnership with UN Women.
The programme's main aim is to train and empower women who have suffered at the hands of abusive partners or relatives. They are found in shelters and receive training in sewing and basic fashion design.
For Khanyi, the programme has helped her to provide for her son. "Before the training I could not even afford a loaf of bread for my son. I would do anything to make money, even if it meant subjecting myself to further abuse."
Now, 10 months into the Unite programme, she is wearing a dress she made herself.
"I have a number of orders waiting for me back home. I am now a trained seamstress and I am able to design and sell."
The programme was introduced in KwaZulu-Natal this week and will see 39 survivors of abuse being trained.
In South Africa about 147 cases of violence against women are reported a day. KwaZulu-Natal has the highest cases of violence against women
Among those supporting the event was first lady Bongi Ngema-Zuma and the under-secretary-general and director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, as well as top KwaZulu-Natal designers such as Terrence Bray, Thembeka Vilakazi and Vanessa Pillay.
Edcon CEO Bernie Brookes said the plan was to expand the two programmes to nine.
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"We are hoping to launch at least one every month," he said this week during the launch of the second group, at Tongaat in KwaZulu-Natal.
"One important thing to do is go back and make sure that the women in the first group and second group find relevant employment and that those jobs are sustainable."
One of the women had already been employed as a trainee designer, said Brookes.
Mlambo-Ngcuka said: "In South Africa about 147 cases of violence against women are reported a day. KwaZulu-Natal has the highest cases of violence against women and [this] is a motivation to make sure this programme succeeds."
The 39 trainees will be trained at Edcon's Celrose clothing factory in Tongaat.
Brookes said he looked forward to women offering products that Edcon could consider selling. "It would be great to one day see them designing Kelso and Penny C brands."
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