The breaking of the news about the death of Fezekile Ntsukela Kuzwayo, famously known as Khwezi, has left many of us feeling saddened. Perhaps it is because there was a sublime hope that one day in the very near future her real voice would be heard. There was hope that she would emerge to gain back her life and her real name. The outcome of the trial matters very little. The social behaviour leading to and during the trial offered no support but shame to her very being. She did not deserve the treatment she received. She was forced into exile and pushed into the darkness of silence. The fact that she did not enjoy our protection should haunt us. I often think about other victims of rape and wonder if the treatment Fezekile got scared them into silence too. It must have. A poem by LAWRENCE MDUDUZI NDLOVU.