'I thought I would die' – Westridge mom survives five-hour brutal attack

A 21-year-old Westridge mother has spoken out about a five-hour ordeal during which her ex-boyfriend allegedly strangled her with a belt and threatened her with death near the Mnandi Beach canal, saying she hopes her story will encourage other women to seek help.

Micha Renge told the Plainsman she feared for her life during the attack, which took place late on Sunday, December 21, and ended the following morning. Her former boyfriend has since been arrested and is facing a charge of attempted murder.

Police confirmed the matter is currently before the court, with the accused expected to return on Thursday, January 22.

Ms Renge told the Plainsman that on the day, she and her ex-boyfriend of six months went to “chill” at a friend’s house in Rocklands.

“I told him I had to go to work soon, so I didn’t want to overdo it. I went to the toilet when his friend approached me and said, ‘He is on drugs. This is not the guy for you.'"

She said when she left the bathroom, she saw him smoking a handpipe and told him she wanted to leave.

They later walked to the bus stop in Rocklands, where she confronted him about the drug use.

“He aggressively started slapping me several times. I told him to please take me home. He refused, dragged me, and hit me again."

She said she became disoriented in the darkness.

“He put his belt around my neck. I asked where we were going. He said, 'You’re going nowhere.'" When the sun came up, I realised we were at the canal. I begged him to take me home. He told me, “No one will see you or hear you.” When I asked about my child, he said, “I will tell her I never saw her mother.”

Ms Renge said he choked her repeatedly with his hands and the belt.

“He told me to run if I wanted. I tripped, and he caught me, dragged me by my feet while I screamed for help, and said, ‘You see why I can’t trust you, so you should die.’ He then wrapped his belt around my neck and let me roll down a piece of cement with the belt still around my neck.”

She said she blacked out and wet herself during the attack.

Around 7am, she said he threatened her to take off her bloody clothes and swap them for his hoodie.

He then took her to his house in Rocklands. Ms Renge said she tried unsuccessfully to signal for help to his sister before telling his mother what had happened.

His mother then put her in a taxi while her ex-boyfriend looked on from the gate.

But it did not end there. When she got home, she realised she didn’t have her keys. He came around the corner with the keys, saying, ‘I’m not finished with you.’” He continued choking and kicking her.

Her cousin, 17, who heard scuffling, became suspicious. Ms Renge managed to barricade herself in the bathroom by pushing a cabinet against the door and signalled for help through the window.

She documented her bruises and went to the police on Monday, December 22.

Police found the suspect hiding at a friend’s house on Tuesday, December 23, "highly drugged."

He appeared in court on Wednesday, December 24, and the case was postponed till Thursday, January 22, she said.

“Enough is enough. I want to survive, not just for me but for my daughter. It took courage to come forward and to live on,” she said.

She said her eyes remain bloodshot after the incident, and she avoids going outside because of her appearance.

Provincial police spokesperson Constable Ndakhe Gwala confirmed that a man, 20, was arrested for attempted murder.