A 19-year-old student at Nelson Mandela University (NMU) in South Africa, Sesethu Enhle Mboza, has died by suicide after she was allegedly raped by a fellow student who was later released on bail.
According to advocacy group Women For Change, Mboza took her life on October 29, 2025, just weeks after the alleged assault.
“After allegedly being raped in October, Sesethu opened a case with the police. The perpetrator was arrested but later released on bail,” the organization said in a statement on Sunday.
The group accused the university of failing to protect Mboza, saying her alleged attacker was allowed to remain on campus.
“Sesethu suffered from severe trauma and panic attacks after repeatedly seeing her perpetrator on campus the very place where she should have felt safe,” the statement read.
Women For Change described the university’s response as a “complete disregard for the safety and mental well-being of survivors,” calling for immediate accountability and stronger gender-based violence (GBV) measures across South African universities.
“This is not only a failure of compassion but a failure of protection,” the group said. “No survivor should have to relive their trauma by crossing paths with their perpetrators. Sesethu’s life mattered. She deserves justice.”
The case has sparked national outrage, with students and women’s rights activists demanding answers from Nelson Mandela University and law enforcement over how the alleged perpetrator was allowed back on campus.
The university has not yet released an official statement on the incident.
