The HIV positive woman, Fezekile ‘Khwezi’ Kuzwayo, who
accused South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma of rape 10 years ago, reportedly
died on Saturday.
This has sparked major reactions on South African social
media, with some people calling for the president’s resignation.
The high-profile case rocked the country about a year before
Zuma became president. Named ‘Khwezi’ by South Africans to protect her image,
the victim reportedly was the daughter of Zuma’s friend, Judson Diza Khuzwayo,
a member of the African National Congress (ANC). The two men had spent 10 years
in Robben Island Prison.
In 2005, 31-year-old Khwezi accused Zuma of raping her at
his Johannesburg home. He pleaded not guilty and his attorneys reduced her
claims to a consensual sex.
Khwezi, later diagnosed with HIV, fiercely advocated for
women’s right and fought against rape, until yesterday, when her family
released a statement, confirming her death.
“It is with our
deepest sorrow that the Kuzwayo family announces the passing of our daughter
Fezekile Ntsukela Kuzwayo,” her mother, Beauty Sibongile Kuzwayo said.
The cause of her death has not been made known
Her death has sparked major reactions on social media. While
many people are calling for the president’s resignation, other have noted how
politician Julius Malema vilified the alleged rape victim during the court
proceedings.
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