The sudden and brutal death of a 32-year-old lesbian woman has left her loved ones in complete shock as her body was found dumped in a field outside of the township of Namibia, near Bloemfontein.
MambaOnline reports that the family of Mabatho Maradonnah James last saw her on the night of Friday November 29 when it was believed that she’d had left the house to buy cigarettes with an unknown man.
Her body was discovered the following morning near the home she’d shared with her younger brother and sister.
“She lived her life to the fullest, she was a sweet person; that’s how I’d like to describe her,” said her devastated cousin, Mandisa Molejane.
James, affectionately known as Madonnah, had been brutally stoned until her face was unrecognisable.
It is also believed that she was raped.
“We are very, very hurt because what happened to her is painful. We don’t wish to see that with another person’s daughter. We are traumatised and we still don’t believe it,” Molejane said.
Molejane believes her cousin was subjected to this cruelty because she was an out and proud lesbian, despite having no evidence or confirmation.
Meanwhile, the status of the investigation into Madonnah’s murder remains unclear.
Molejane has expressed her displeasure with the handling of her case, as she is unaware of any arrests, and she’s claimed that the family had not received any updates from the police.
“There is no communication. They put us on hold and said that they’ll come once the funeral is over,” said Molejane, adding that she is upset by the lack of engagement.
“It’s like they don’t take this case seriously because Madonnah was a lesbian”.
Adding further to the tragedy is the fact that Madonnah James was murdered during the annual 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children campaign, from 25 November to 10 December.
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