This brave young woman was kidnapped, gang raped and brutalised.
But pretty McKayla George, 18, is refusing to be a victim and another statistic.
The determined teen invited the Daily Voice into her home recently as she prepared for her matric ball.
And her message to her attackers is clear: I will not be your victim anymore.
Police spokesperson Elvis Mahote confirms that there have been no arrests in the brutal kidnap and rape of the teen.
According to South African law the identity of a sex crime victim cannot be made public.
But the Grade 12 pupil from Grassy Park High School wants her rapists and kidnappers to see her proud face and know that they did not break her spirit.
Her mother and grandmother support her brave decision.
“I don’t want to hide my face,” says McKayla.
“I want to show them [attackers] I didn’t lie down, that I got up and that I will not be a victim.
“I took a bad situation and used it to my advantage.
“I made it because God and my family, friends and community held my hand.”
Dressed in an Indian-inspired two-piece dress, McKayla looked radiant before she was whisked off to her Matric ball, which was held at Goodwood Civic Hall on Tuesday night.
The inspiring young woman, who has an array of certificates from her final year at school, wants to dedicate a year to helping rape victims at shelters.
“I want to study Forensic Anthropology but I want to spend next year volunteering at shelters and centres.”
On January 22, while McKayla walked to school, three men with balaclavas followed her in a black Toyota Tazz which had tinted windows.
They forced McKayla into the car and beat her severely in the face and raped her before dumping her along the side of the road in Zeekoevlei.
“They pulled me into the back of the car and they placed a cloth with a chemical over my face as I tried to fight them off.
“Then they penetrated me.
“I woke up and was in and out of consciousness.
“The next moment when I woke up, I was on the side of the road in Zeekoevlei and I was bruised and bleeding.”
It was Marilyn Levine, 46, who came to McKayla’s aid.
“I wanted to make a joke that she was late for school but then I saw the blood,” says Marilyn.
“I put my arms around her and took her to school where I called the teachers.”
McKayla explains everyone thought she would crumble and give up after the attack.
But this year McKayla was a prefect and received certificates of achievement for English, Afrikaans and Life Orientation.
“I went back to school two days after the incident,” she says.
“Many expected me to break down but this experience has brought me closer to God.
“I carried on and didn’t act like a victim and told myself don’t let those who did this to you get the satisfaction that they have won.”
McKayla’s mom, Antoinette, 40, says her daughter’s ordeal has made her stronger.
“She doesn’t know the people who did this and they haven’t been caught,” adds Antoinette.
“She [McKayla] has made me stronger throughout this.”
Her grandmother, Magdalena Willemse, 64, who was in tears, says she is an inspiration.
“I am so proud of her and she told me, she made it because God held her hand.”
Daily Voice