While August is a month used to celebrate women, for Nomsa Buthelezi it also serves as a reminder that she survived a horrible ordeal where she was apparently almost gang raped.
Now a year later, Nomsa reflected on the traumatic incident, telling TshisaLIVE that it happened while she was on her way to her mom's house with a friend.
"I was going to my mother and I was with a friend, then six guys appeared and started making stupid comments aimed at me. We initially ignored them but they continued and said, 'I thought I was special because I'm a celebrity'. My friend then stopped to respond to them then they started saying they could show us who is boss because they are men."
Nomsa said the men continued insulting them and eventually surrounded her friend and started manhandling her. Nomsa remembers walking a bit further before she heard her friend scream behind her.
She turned back to go help her friend and that's when she realised that one of them had a knife.
"I heard her scream and I went back to help her, but when I got there they started handling me...you know, grabbing me in a very inappropriate manner. I was overwhelmed for a moment and then something in me clicked. That's when I retaliated, just me alone. Yoh! I fought and I beat them up. But I nearly lost my eye because one of them had a knife. I am now left with the scar.
"I thank God I could fight because I beat them up."
Nomsa said she was grateful to be alive because it could have easily ended differently for both her and her friend. She said the martial arts training she had been doing for a film, Super Mama, came in handy.
"It's a year later and I am still recovering from that day, both emotionally and physically. My skin tissue is still not back to how it was and all work I had to do after that was really hard. I have scars that mean I will never be the same. But I conquered."
The actress said she never opened a case because she didn't recognise the guys at all and it seemed like it wasn't going to result in anything.
Nomsa plays Slenda on Lockdown and the film that may have helped save her life Super Mama is also out.
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