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A woman had her eye removed after a catcaller she ignored threw a brick across her face and left it \u201csmashed\u201d and \u201cin pieces\u201d – and she’s furious he hasn’t been arrested.<\/p>\n
Nikita Kalubi, 25, was running errands with her boyfriend when she claims a stranger came up to her and started remarking on her looks.<\/p>\n
She says she ignored him, and he went away but minutes later she saw him again at the end of a passage and he threw a brick across her face and ran away.<\/p>\n
The attack left Nikita\u2019s left eye so damaged she had to have it removed and is now waiting for a prosthetic eye.<\/p>\n
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The model and influencer says she struggles to look in the mirror and has wants to put a stop to street harassment.<\/p>\n
Nikita, from Somerset West, Western Cape, South Africa, said: \u201cThis man came up to me and starts making remarks about how beautiful I am.<\/p>\n
\u201cI ignored it. Strangers told him to stop and eventually, he did. We started walking away.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy boyfriend was behind me, and I saw the guy again with his hands behind his back. Then he threw a brick across my face and ran away.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI remember the pain. I felt the brick just smash across my face. I was told the eye is severely damaged and in pieces.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wouldn\u2019t ever function again. I loved how I looked – I had big, beautiful eyes. Now I cry every time I look at myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nikita was attacked in Cape Town on August 26, 2023, while out getting food for a game night with friends.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cHe got close to throwing himself on me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Strangers told the man to leave Nikita alone, but she and her boyfriend felt unsettled and decided to head back.<\/p>\n
They were walking through a passage when she claims the man reappeared and threw a brick across her face.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cI fell and hit my head and fell unconscious.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nikita was rushed to Khayelitsha Hospital, Cape Town, before being transferred to Tygerberg Hospital where a specialist looked at her eye.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cI remember asking \u2018will I be able to see with my eye?\u2019 I knew something really wrong had happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nikita was told her eye was so damaged she would need it removed but her mum, Veronica Kalubi, 46, wanted to get a second opinion.<\/p>\n
They went to Bosamed Hospital but were told nothing could be done.<\/p>\n
Veronica, a former hotel manager, said: \u201cIt was damaged beyond repair.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe gel of the eye was splattered and out of the eye socket. It splattered into small pieces and the white part was smashed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nikita had an operation on August 29, 2023, to drain the blood and pieces of the eye and clean up the socket ready for a prosthetic.<\/p>\n
She had a further surgery to fix her broken nose so she could breathe properly.<\/p>\n
Nikita is now waiting to be measured for a prosthetic, but the treatment has already cost Veronica her life savings \u2013 costing 56,000 rand.<\/p>\n
Nikita said: \u201cIt\u2019s hard to come to terms with – looking at myself in the mirror. I now have to navigate life differently. This is a disability now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nikita hopes sharing her story can give others strength and help stop street harassment.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cI\u2019m grateful I\u2019m able to share my story.\u200c<\/p>\n
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\u201cOne lady told me \u2013 \u2018you speaking out is giving me so much strength\u2019. We\u2019re used to it [catcalling]. That\u2019s why that day I ignored it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t realise how messed up it is. Women can end up dead or raped. It\u2019s not OK. I don\u2019t feel safe anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
Veronica added: \u201cAll she did was go out with friends. And left with no eye.\u201d<\/p>\n
The family are raising money for Nikita\u2019s recovery here – https:\/\/www.backabuddy.co.za\/champion\/project\/zizipho-nikita-kalubi-5705193209618046482<\/p>\n
South African Police Service confirmed an investigation has been opened and no arrests have been made.<\/p>\n