{"id":30774,"date":"2025-05-29T17:48:25","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T15:48:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yfm.co.za\/devworld\/?p=30774"},"modified":"2025-05-29T17:48:25","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T15:48:25","slug":"olo-became-a-victim-of-the-very-brutality-she-stood-against-friend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yfm.co.za\/devworld\/2025\/05\/29\/olo-became-a-victim-of-the-very-brutality-she-stood-against-friend\/","title":{"rendered":"Olo became a victim of the very brutality she stood against: Friend"},"content":{"rendered":"
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University friend, Sphumelele Ndlovu, says it is deeply disheartening that Olorato Mongale became a victim of the same brutality she so passionately fought against.<\/p>\n

Ndlovu, who studied with Mongale at Rhodes University, recalled her as a towering presence, always at the forefront of the fight against Gender-Based Violence and Femicide<\/a> (GBVF).<\/p>\n

Mongale was a key figure in the #RUReferenceList movement at Rhodes University, which emerged in 2016 after students released a list naming alleged sexual offenders on campus.<\/p>\n

The release of the list sparked widespread protests and called attention to the university\u2019s handling of sexual violence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The 30-year-old’s body was found dumped on the side of the road in Lombardy East on Sunday, less than two hours after she left her apartment in Sandton to go on a date with a potential suitor.<\/div>\n
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It is understood that Mongale met the guy at a mall and exchanged numbers, prior to the date that led to her demise.<\/div>\n
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Ndlovu, who spent several years alongside Mongale at university before they both moved to Johannesburg to pursue their careers, says the news of her death sent chills down her spine.<\/div>\n
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\u201cShe was a force, bold, unwavering, and determined to bring change. To lose her in this way is not only devastating but a tragic reminder of the very crisis she fought so hard against,\u201d she said.<\/div>\n
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Ndlovu says the conversation and questions we should be asking ourselves is, why\u00a0do perpetrators feel so safe in society? What systems are enabling them, and what are we doing to dismantle them?<\/div>\n
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“Perpetrators feel safe in society because we don’t hold each other accountable. There is so much individualism right now; you’ve got your high walls, your razor fence, electric fence, your remote controlled safe and you feel like you are safe, but reality is, we need to come together as a community and be each other’s keeper.”<\/div>\n
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Ndlovu commended the community of Lombardy East for their swift action to the discovery of Mongale’s body.<\/div>\n
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