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By Kekeletso Nakeli

Columnist


There must be recourse when men we love bring us unending pain

But also, there must be recourse for men accused of rape as a tool for women to attain revenge on men who don’t bend to their will.


I remember it penned somewhere that at some point, we need to be able to admit that relationship failures are not as clear as black and white…

While the author was someone on social media, whose views I had come to respect and more often found to be intriguing, it always was common that relationships have this lurking challenge of infidelity that continually threatens the peace and order.

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What happens when it goes south? Can there be a protection of what was said when we were once happy?

And this topic springs to mind again because men stand accused of crimes so heinous, one wonders if at all they had any capability to love. There can be nothing worse than a man who is in “love” with you being the reason you to seek help and refuge from the police.

There must be recourse when men we love bring us unending tears and pain. But also, there must be recourse for men accused of rape as a tool for women to attain revenge on men who don’t bend to their will. Something, anything, has to give.

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A musician was accused of rape but he was not prosecuted because of insufficient evidence. The accuser – also a musician – now has to fight for her credibility. She’s literally begging to be allowed to continue to live.

They had a relationship and we don’t know their highs – it is the lows that shone through. What he, or even she, thought was acceptable was not to the other party and that’s how we got to this point. If she accused him, again, it should be the courts that mete out the punishment, not social media users. It’s torture.

Reading tweets on both sides of the fence is hurtful, one may feel vindicated by the courts and the other may claim a disservice.

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It’s complicated, but one thing is for sure, it is heartbreaking that lives have been affected by a relationship that didn’t work out. Was she allegedly raped? We don’t know.

But what I am certain of is that having a liking for the man she accused does not make her truth a lie. That she must be crucified in this way is, in itself, abusive and it must stop.

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