THERE’S a date tattooed on her left hand: 18-11-18. It’s the day she finally took her life back.
Home is in Durban where the sun shines a lot, there’s plenty of space for her two dogs to run around, her teenage boys play rugby under blue skies and monkeys chatter in the trees.
It’s been a year since horrific footage went viral of Nicoleen being beaten by her husband, Jaco Swart, in the office of his car dealership in Sinoville, Pretoria. In a second video he’s seen following her into the showroom, headbutting her and kicking – first in the stomach, then between her legs.
The assaults happened on 15 and 18 November 2018 and the last attack was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
The devil was in his eyes, Nicoleen says. She was convinced he was going to kill her.
“That was my turning point. I left everything and just ran.”
She went straight to the Sinoville police station, laid charges and applied for a protection order. Jaco was arrested and spent a week in jail. After he was released on bail, he disappeared to the Cape – but by December 2018 he was back in Pretoria and broke into the family home in the middle of the night.
“The children and I were hysterical,” Nicoleen recalls. “He wanted to take us to Cape Town, saying he had a new life for us there. I kept calling the police and he eventually fled.”
The assault case against Jaco went ahead, but very slowly and the pandemic further delayed proceedings. Eventually her stepdad, Jan Basson, persuaded her to go the private prosecution route.
Denne historien er fra 29 June 2023-utgaven av YOU South Africa.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra 29 June 2023-utgaven av YOU South Africa.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
HOW TO BE YOUR OWN THERAPIST
With more and more of us struggling with our mental health, here's a common-sense guide to coping with life's ups and downs
SPUD: THE MAGIC CONTINUES
John van de Ruit tells us why he decided to write a sequel - and shares how his first book helped him find enduring love
SEX CONTRACT GONE WRONG
A Cape Town couple have been charged with using a young woman as a sex slave-but some say she lost the job she signed up for and now has a grudge against them
LIAM LAID TO REST
More than a month after One Direction singer LIAM PAYNE (31) tragically fell to his death from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, his loved ones finally got to say their goodbyes.
SHILOH HANGS OUT
THE two young women look like any pair of good friends chatting and laughing as they leave their dance class in Los Angeles.
LEO IN LOVE
He's just turned 50 and it seems Leonardo DiCaprio may finally be ready to settle down
PACKING A PUNCH
Irish actor Paul Mescal beefed up for his role in the blockbuster epic Gladiator II - and fans are loving it
I DIDN'T CHOOSE TO BE A LOVE CHILD
As the illegitimate daughter of the king, she fought to be recognised as part of Belgium's royal family, but Princess Delphine says she still feels unwelcome
'I STILL HAVE NIGHTMARES'
A bite from a spitting cobra 13 years ago nearly killed her but Mikayla survived - and she's made peace with her scars
THE CLAWS ARE OUT!
Things have grown frosty between the Beckhams and the Sussexes as Becks comes out in clear support of William
