Bakkie-cage woman wants media storm out of her life

24 January 2017 - 09:37 By ZINGISA MVUMVU and MALIBONGWE DAYIMANI
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The family of the pregnant Linda Steenkamp, who made headlines last week when a picture of her inside a cage on the back of a farmer's bakkie caused a social media storm, say they want the matter to be over.

Steenkamp, 27, who is expecting her third child, said the stress brought about by the incident was not good for her unborn child.

She says she does not want to talk about the incident anymore.

  • WATCH: Woman at centre of 'bakkie cage' saga speaks outLinda Steenkamp‚ the woman who sat in a sheep cage at the back of a bakkie‚ went on camera to say she chose to sit there because it was extremely hot‚ she needed a lift and wanted to sit in the wind. 

"I want this thing to be over. I climbed into that cage myself because no one sits in the front with umlungu [white person]," Steenkamp said.

Her boyfriend, Bonga Kondile, 35, who lives with Steenkamp at Zuurfontein Farm, which is 65km from Cradock, said "the humiliation" suffered by his pregnant partner was unfathomable.

"Anything could have happened to my girlfriend, especially for someone who is pregnant, to be seated at the back inside a cage," Kondile said.

Linda's father, Jaan Steenkamp, who asked Erasmus to give his daughter a lift to a clinic, said: "I even went as far as making sure she was sitting comfortably at the back in that cage."

He said the matter shone an unwelcome spotlight on his family.

"I want this to blow over so that we can go back to our lives," Steenkamp said.

Erasmus said he now feared for his life . " I've got 24-hour security guards doing patrols ," he said.

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