What seemed like a cold drink from a handbag became a nightmare for Mmapeu Neo Hlanga of Zebediela, Limpopo, when her former boyfriend’s jealous ex-girlfriend poured acid on her, leaving her with permanent scars on her face and body.

Hlanga, who hails from Sekgweng in the area, says her life has changed drastically after enduring an experience she says she is struggling to forget.

She said the attack had robbed her of her dignity. Her face and body are now covered with scars.

“I can’t even stare at myself in the mirror,” she said. “My child doesn’t even recognise me anymore.”

Speaking to IOL News, the 27-year-old said her situation began when she dropped out of Capricorn TVET College in 2021, where she was studying plumbing, due to financial difficulties.

“I had to drop out because NSFAS was not paying for my studies, and no one at home was working to help me pay,” she said.

Hlanga said it was then that she started looking for a job.

In 2022, she found a job as a general worker at a farm in Mokopane, not far from Zebediela.

“I worked on a farm that specialised in grapes and blueberries. We were picking fruits and doing other general tasks,” she said.

It was at this farm where she met a man from her area and eventually fell in love. However, things did not go as expected.

“I started dating a guy who was working there around May or June in 2024. Later, I found out that he had a child with a woman named Ivyone Maja, who also worked on the farm. They had broken up, according to him,” she said.

As time went on, Hlanga said Maja became ‘jealous’ of their relationship and began spreading lies about them to management.

“She told the manager that we were having sex at work, which was not true. I tried to explain, but the manager supported and believed her lies,” she said.

“I then had a confrontation with the manager for taking sides and not wanting to hear my side of the story. I was called to a disciplinary hearing.”

She said she was given a choice, which was a second chance or dismissal.

“I chose to be dismissed in August 2024, because the manager didn’t want to listen to me,” she said.

Before dating the man, Hlanga said her relationship with Maja had been good. But everything changed once she started dating him.

“She kept saying they were still together, but the guy told me they had broken up,” she told IOL News.

After leaving the farm, Hlanga returned home full-time.

One weekend, she visited the man, hoping to spend some time together.

“We talked, chilled, and spent time like usual. The next day, he went to the spaza shop and came back saying the baby mama (referring to Maja) kept calling him,” she recalled.

“She was telling him that her current boyfriend is better than him in bed. I told him I knew the guy she was dating, and that he should call him to tell him to speak to her.”

Hlanga said she found the boyfriend’s number and the man called him. 

During the call, Maja phoned the man again, and she was unknowingly added to a conference call.

“She heard I was there and shouted at him, saying, ‘I can hear that you’re with Mmapeu,’ and then dropped the call,” she said.

A few minutes later, Maja called again, saying she wanted to come over and make peace.

“I didn’t think anything of it,” Hlanga said. 

“She came in the afternoon, carrying a handbag, shouting that she didn’t want to talk to me and would not fight with bare hands.”

While they were sitting and having a cold drink, Maja allegedly asked to be poured a glass.

“She was told the drink was bought by me, and she said she would not drink anything bought by me. She said she had her own,” Hlanga said.

“She opened her handbag and pulled out what I thought was a drink, but it was acid.”

“She stood in front of me, shouting, ‘You’re having a great time, neh?’ and then poured the acid on my face and body.”

“I screamed. I cried…The guy poured cold water on me, but it didn’t help. I was rushed to Zebediela (Magatle) Hospital.”

Hlanga said Maja allegedly stole the acid from her workplace, where it is used to kill insects.

The attack took place in October 2024.

“My clothes were burned by the acid. My chest, hands, and thighs were severely burned,” she recalled.

She said she spent two weeks at Zebediela Hospital before being transferred to Mankweng Hospital, where she stayed from October until May 2025.

Hlanga, a mother of a four-year-old girl, who’s not the child of the man she fell in love with at the farm, said her life has been completely changed.

“I can’t look at myself. I keep asking God, what did I do to deserve this?” she said, with a heavy sigh.

“My child used to run straight outside after coming home from preschool. She is still afraid of me.”

Her vision has also been affected, and she is still undergoing medical treatment.

She has since ended the relationship with the man.

Meanwhile, Limpopo police have confirmed that they are investigating a case of attempted murder following the acid attack, initially reported as assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Limpopo provincial police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba confirmed that Hlanga was allegedly attacked by Ivyone Maja, 25, at her boyfriend’s home, under the Moletlane policing precinct outside Zebediela.

Maja was arrested on February 14, 2025, and appeared in the Zebediela Periodical Court the next day. 

She was granted bail of R3,000, and the case was transferred to Mokopane Regional Court.

The accused appeared in court on July 1, and the matter was postponed to July 21 for further proceedings.

Hlanga has since broken her silence and shared her story on social media, where she has received support and is appealing for financial help.

“I am seeking donations from anyone who can assist me with plastic surgery, which is very expensive,” she said. 

“I want to fix my face. Even though I’ve accepted myself, I can’t just sit and do nothing without seeking help.”

She said the surgery is estimated to cost between R150,000 and R200,000.

“I won’t rest until she is sentenced to life in prison. She gave me scars I will carry for the rest of my life.”

Efforts to receive comment from Maja were unsuccessful. IOL News has learned that she has since left home on Sunday after the community marched to her workplace and to her home demanding answers from her.

simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za

IOL News

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