VIDEO: Pta rape survivor to walk 729km to raise awareness

An inspirational woman with a goal in mind and a will to change the way people view rape in South Africa will be taking on a 27-day challenge to walk 27km a day, in an attempt to raise funds and spark conversations about the uncontrollable rape culture in our society.

Leilani Kuter (45), who calls herself Danville-diva, grew up in the west of Pretoria and shares her incredible story on rape, fighting for survival and acceptance after experiencing the traumatic assault 27 years ago, at the age of 18.

“I was working at the NG Church youth centre in Vermeulen Street and stayed in a church hostel. We had small rooms and communal restrooms in the building. On that specific day I had just moved into my new room on the second floor,” Kuter explained.

On this fateful day, of 16 September, Leilani had spent some time at the pool and later returned to her room, unaware a man she later described as being in his late 20s was following her.

“I was waiting for my friend Dewald to visit me when someone knocked on my door, a man introducing himself as ‘Frankie’. He explained that the resident living next door was his sister and that the family had just lost their grandmother, and he needed me to pass on the sad news. Not thinking much, I let the stranger inside,” Leilani recalls.According to Leilani, he had jumped on her in a split second.

“I tried to reason with him but he wouldn’t listen. He took his belt off and wrapped it around my neck while he raped me so brutally I lost consciousness. I woke up a short time later, naked and bloodied. I removed the belt from my neck, knowing that this man had thought he had killed me.”

Leilani was the sixth rape victim in the area, that week.

She didn’t speak about the rape for 10 years thereafter, trying her hardest to move on.

“It wasn’t until I spoke with another rape victim not too long ago that I decided to do something like this.”

In speaking publicly about her ordeal, she hopes to empower other survivors, to speak out and free themselves from the stigma rape carries.

On 16 September, the 27th anniversary of her rape ordeal, Leilani started the 27-day journey, totalling 729km from Pretoria to Ruimsig, Roodepoort.

“I plan to walk 27km a day for 27 days in defiance of systemic violence against women and in celebration of our collective survival. I will be wearing yellow, the colour the perpetrator wore when he attacked my spirit. With my BackaBuddy campaign, I hope to honour young women like Uyinene Mrwetyana, Jesse Hess, Leighandre Jegels, Lynette Volschenk and Meghan Cremer who lost their lives to senseless acts of violence. I also want to honour the women whose stories we haven’t heard and the names we don’t know,” Leilani says.

The campaign has raised R59 278.38 towards the fundraising target of R100 000 with contributions from 39 donors since 14 August.

“I hope my BackaBuddy campaign will encourage as many young women as possible who have been raped or have been a victim of sexual assault to speak out and be heard. With a case number you are taking back some of your power from the perpetrator and God willing putting them behind bars,” she concludes.

On Thursday it was announced that SPAR had already donated R72 000 and Round Table South Africa had donated R40 000 to Kuter’s cause.

To contribute to Leilani Kuter’s BackaBuddy campaign, click here: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/leilani-kuter

Watch the video of Leilani’s story here:

Leilani’s campaign video:

Leilani’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LeilaniDD/

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