Lady Zamar Officially Opens Rape Case Against Sjava

According to The Citizen,South African house singer-songwriter Lady Zamar, has officially opened a rape case against hip-hop artist and former partner, Sjava.

The case details how Lady Zamar was allegedly raped by Sjava following a 2017 performance they did together at the Royal Heritage Festival in Limpopo.

Last year, Lady Zamar first made allegations of having been abused in a past relationship by Sjava, although she did not explicitly name him. In a thread she posted on Twitter, she detailed how she had been emotionally, physically and sexually abused and that she had also struggled to come to terms with the fact that it had happened to her. "Some people won't believe me...I'm not asking for anyone to believe me," she added and explained that she only wanted to "put an end" to all the media speculation around the relationship.

In response to Lady Zamar's allegations in 2019, Sjava responded in a statement that read:

"As a final statement on this matter, I write to you as my colleagues, business partners, peers and supporters to inform you that I will not be engaging on matters of assault and abuse levelled against me on social media or any other platform," Sjava said on social media on Wednesday. I have instituted legal proceedings in the high court of SA and as such the matter is now sub judice."

Neither Sjava nor his team has yet publicly responded to the rape case that has now been opened.

News of the rape case has caused a divide among South Africans. While some have expressed their solidarity with Lady Zamar, others have taken to questioning the timing of the rape case. Additionally, some South Africans feel that the news has revealed double standards in society when it comes to which women are believed and which are not.

Take a look at some of the reactions on social media from South Africans below: