The young lesbian woman at the centre of the Eastern Cape, Ngqeleni corrective rape case has come forward to share her story publicly for the first time, speaking to MambaOnline about the night her life was violently changed and the painful court process that followed.
Yongama Magudu, who was raped in October near a tavern in Lwandile location, says she is still struggling to come to terms with what happened to her, both physically and emotionally, as the case moves forward in court.
“It was a Saturday and I was going out with my friends,” Magudu recalls. “It was really nice, we were having a few drinks. We arrived at the spot late, around 7pm. We were having a good time.”
As the night went on, Magudu repeatedly stepped outside to use the bathroom. At around 3am, she encountered a man she knew from her community.
“I know him. He calls me and I go to him,” she says. “I was surprised to see him there because he is a born-again Christian from church, so I didn’t expect to see him here.”
The man asked her for help, telling her there was a woman he was interested in and that he wanted Magudu to call her on his behalf. Because he was an older man and someone she knew, she did not feel alarmed.
“This is an adult asking for my help,” she explains. “I didn’t think anything bad would happen.”
He instructed her to leave the tavern through a different exit, saying he did not want to make his intentions obvious. Disoriented and not “functioning at full capacity mentally”, she followed his instructions.
When she exited, he was already waiting by his car.
“He tells me to come in and says we’re going to go around the corner,” Magudu says. “When we get there, he starts doing weird stuff, like trying to lock us in the car.”
After getting out of the vehicle, the situation escalated rapidly. The perpetrator told Magudu to come by his side as he pointed at a certain woman that he wanted Magudu to approach on his behalf.
“As I get closer to him, with my back to him, he grabs me from behind and closes my mouth because there were people in the area. He drags me to a nearby bush.”
Magudu describes how he first struggled to pulled down her pants and underwear while covering her mouth, but he eventually managed and raped her.
“Once he finished, he said to me, ‘I am taking out this thing that is making you like girls. I’ve been wanting you for a while now,’” she shared.
She says she was too shocked by the statement and exhausted to fight or respond.
“I just kept quiet. I didn’t even have the strength. I felt like my whole world just got turned upside down and I was all alone in this world.”
After the rape, the man briefly returned to her, giving her a cap to clean herself before leaving to rejoin his friends. Magudu eventually returned to her friends but did not immediately tell them what had happened.
“I didn’t want to say it there because of the type of scene,” she explains. “I knew it wouldn’t be handled in the appropriate way.”
She later told her family and reported the rape to the police the same day. The suspect was arrested the following day.
Court testimony and bail outcome
During bail proceedings on the 17 December 2025, the accused testified in court, claiming that he was in a relationship with Magudu, that she went to his car willingly, and that she initiated and consented to sex, alleging that he was “seduced” by her.
Magudu says his testimony deeply hurt her.
“He said a lot of things that were lies,” she says. “I was really hurt by his testimony because he degraded my dignity in front of the whole community.”
Despite the defence’s arguments, the court denied bail, citing the seriousness of the charges and concerns raised by the State and community members. The case is expected to continue on 19 January 2026.
Living with the aftermath
Magudu says the emotional impact has been devastating.
“All of this has broken me and hurt me deeply, physically and emotionally. I am not the same person I used to be,” she says. “This Yongama that I am now, I don’t know her.”
She describes ongoing anger, uncontrollable crying, and significant weight loss.
“Everything, big or small, just makes me angry. Even when something is not supposed to make me cry, I just cry.”
Strength through support
Despite the trauma, Magudu says she has not faced this journey alone.
“My family has been trying by all means to ensure that I am okay,” she says. “The people I live with are very supportive and are trying to help me heal.”
She also credits the LGBTQIA+ community for standing by her throughout the court process.
“They [LGBTQIA+ community] are there every time I go to court. There are just too many things they assist me with. They show me that they love.”
Magudu is receiving support from Access Chapter 2 and the Eastern Cape Office of the Premier. For her, speaking out is part of reclaiming her dignity and truth.
“I am deeply hurt,” she says. “But I am still here.”
MambaOnline will continue to follow this case.
