"I am struggling," says a ritual murder survivor ...

Nyelisani Sidimela, who made headlines in 2005 when she became the first known ritual murder survivor in Vhembe, has hit hard times. The 25-year-old, strong-willed woman might have survived the most cruel act by humans, but life continues to be tough for her.

She came out of her cocoon last week and pleaded poverty. Despite all the rumours that a trust account in her name has accumulated hundreds of thousands of rands, she continues to live in abject poverty and she has been reduced to a beggar.

In an interview with Limpopo Mirror at its Thohoyandou offices, Sidimela, of Makonde outside Thohoyandou, narrated how life has been an uphill struggle for her since she was discharged from the George Mukhari Hospital in Gauteng. “I am broke. I cannot even afford transport fare to the clinic for checkups. I need help,” she said.

Sidimela said she became very worried because, after her ordeal and subsequent recovery, she had hoped to lead a normal life, as she was told she had a trust aqccount with funds that could sustain her. She said that when she was discharged in 2008, she thought that life would be easier, but that was not to be.

“I am struggling as you see me here. I am struggling and life has never been easy for me. I am greatly saddened that while I swim in this pool of poverty, the promised money could be somewhere in a bank account, earning interest. Everywhere I go, people keep on asking me where my taxis are and what I have done with my money. I always tell them that I have never seen a cent of the alleged money."

She said she heard about the trust account in a television news report, "but I have not touched a cent from that account.” She had tried on her own to trace the money by asking relatives who were acting as family representatives when the trust was formed, but all her efforts have been in vain. She has even enquired from the local traditional leader, but she has had no luck so far.

“I need the money badly. I cannot suffer while knowing that there might be money available. I would love to know what has happened to the money and if it is still there. I appreciate that I was helped to acquire a government grant, but this is not enough. I have many needs, just like any other person,“ she said.

Dean Alunamutwe Randitsheni, who was part of a committee overseeing the trust, said the money was still there in the account. “Yes, I can confirm that there is still money in the account, but I cannot tell as to how much might be there, as I have not been involved in the matter for a long time. We as the trust gave the task to the family to decide what they would like to do with the money, but it seems there is a problem with the family," he added.

Family member David Sidimela said they were busy addressing the issue with other community stakeholders. “Yes, I am in touch with other members of the trust. We are dealing with the matter,” he said. David’s claims were refuted by Randitsheni who said that they had not met for a long time.

Another family member’s phone went unanswered each time this paper called ...

SACC secretary Reverend Mautji Pataki said he was not aware that Nyelisani was going through hard times. “We thought all was going well with her. This is a wake-up call and we have to deal with this matter urgently, for her benefit,” he said.

Sidimela’s ordeal shook the world in 2005 when she missed death by a whisker. Ritual murderers struck when she and her boyfriend, Maanda Sendedz , were attacked at Shadani in the Makonde area. Sidimela had her lips cut off by the sharp knives of the muti merchants and she was left for dead.

She managed to survive, but her boyfriend was not so lucky, as he was mutilated and killed at the scene.

Of her ordeal on that fateful day, Nyelisani said she will never forget that fateful morning. “I had decided to go to Makonde when, some few metres from my home, I met my boyfriend and we decided to go and relax at the nearby bushes,” she said. She said they had not been there long when three men passed them, only to return a few minutes later.

“They approached us from the back. I was hit on the head with a blunt instrument and I lost consciousness. I only woke up in the hospital and did not know what had happened to my boyfriend,” she said. She later learnt of her boyfriend´s death.

Asked if she would forgive those who had plotted to kill her and her boyfriend, Nyelisani was quick to point out that she is a Christian. “My Bible teaches me to forgive. If they were to come here and ask forgiveness, I would definitely do so. Who am I not to forgive, when God always forgive us when we do wrong? I will forgive, but I cannot forget,” she said.

Two suspects, Mukondeleli Phosha of Tshidzini and Shumani Dzebu of Muledzhi, were arrested and charged with murder and attempted murder, following the incident. They co-operated with the police and two more traditional healers, Tshimomo Munyai and Balanganani Munyai, were also arrested for allegedly taking part in the ritual murder of a 40-year-old man at Mafukani, together with Phosha and Dzebu