Survivor from Khayelitsha

A survivor from Khayelitsha, who wished to remain anonymous, had an ex-boyfriend beat her so badly he broke her arm. She escaped his house in just her pyjama pants and at 2am walked to the police station topless to report the crime. She was told she needed to go to a clinic. The police did not offer her any clothing to cover herself up with, nor did they offer to drive her the 20 minutes to the clinic. It was a stranger who was at the police station to report a crime who finally offered her his tracksuit top. After that she made her way to the clinic on foot.

Once she arrived at the clinic, she was told she would have to wait until the morning to get an X-ray of her arm. The following morning, after an X-ray confirmed her arm was broken, she was told she had to go to Khayelitsha Hospital for further treatment. The clinic did not have an ambulance. She was told she would have to pay for a taxi to get there. She had no money and had to return home to get the money for the taxi. Once she got to the hospital she was admitted. However, she was never offered any counselling.