A female student of Nelson Mandela University in South Africa, Sesethu Enhle Mboza, 19, has allegedly taken her own life after she was brutally raped by a fellow student.
The tragic incident was announced by an advocacy group, Women For Change (WFC), over the weekend.
WFC reported that Mboza took her life on 29 October 2025.
According to the group, the deceased was raped in October, and she reported the matter to the police, who promptly arrested the suspect.
However, the police released the suspect on bail a few days later, and he returned to the university campus.
WFC said the victim was continually traumatised to see her tormentor moving freely in the university.
The group blamed Nelson Mandela University for failing to protect Mboza by allowing her alleged attacker to remain on campus.
According to the group, the deceased felt threatened and suffered panic attacks from seeing her tormentor in the very place she should have felt safe.
They described this as a failure of compassion and a complete disregard for the safety and mental well-being of survivors.
“Where are the Gender-Based Violence policies that universities are required to have in place to protect their students?” the group queried.
It stressed that survivors of rape should never have to relive their trauma by crossing paths with their perpetrators.
WFC called on Nelson Mandela University and all higher education institutions to take full accountability and urgently strengthen their GBV response mechanisms.
The group said no one deserved to be left feeling unsafe, unheard, or unsupported within a place of learning.
They also called for justice for the deceased.
