“If you want to kill me‚ you can kill me. I don’t care.” When Dolly Tshabalala uttered these words to her boyfriend, popular Jozi FM DJ Donald Sebolai, they were standing on the doorstep of her mother’s house in the middle of the night. Milk was dripping down her face after Sebolai had poured it on her head during an argument.
A month later, on June 29 2014, Dolly's taunt became a reality. They were at his house when another argument erupted and Sebolai, who was 37 years old at the time, grabbed a steak knife with which he used to stab Dolly. The knife punctured an artery, causing her to bleed to death.
As the 32-year-old mother-of-one lay on the floor injured and bleeding, Sebolai helped her change out of her bloodied pyjamas, put her on the bed and wiped her blood from the floor with a towel.
He then put the murder weapon and the bloodied clothes, including the towel, into Dolly's car and drove off. He dumped the car about 2km away from the crime scene and was on the run for a week.
Due to the volatility of the couple's relationship, neighbours said they often heard Dolly’s screams at weekends. On the night she was killed however, they heard nothing, the court heard during the murder trial. Sebolai was slapped with an effective 20-year sentence.
Dolly, who was a Wits University receptionist, was studying towards a psychology degree as she had a passion for teaching and social work. Dolly will never realise her dream of helping others nor will she be there to raise her daughter who was only seven years old when she died.
For Dolly's sake and the sake of women everywhere, if you know somebody who has committed an act of violence against a woman Don't Look Away
.
If you know a young woman's life is in danger, Don't Look Away
.
If you are able to help prevent another tragedy, Don't Look Away
.
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