Cape Town - A drag queen says he’s lucky to be alive after a man stabbed him in the head for complimenting his shirt.
Mandisi Dollee Phika says the shirt had beautiful colours and he decided to tell his attacker what he thought about it.
The flamboyant 28-year-old, who runs the #BlackDragMagic, an LGBTQIA+ organisation in Paarl, says he didn’t know that on Sunday afternoon (27 June) he would end up with a gash an stitches in his head.
“I was with my friend and when we arrived at the house we were drinking at, I saw the guy wearing a really nice shirt,” says Mandisi.
“I complimented his shirt, told him I loved the colours and that it suits him.
“I was drinking beer, I even forgot about the compliment to the guy when he got down from a wall of the yard and punched me.
“I hit back and I defeated him, so he left and I thought that was the end of it.”
Mandisi says he decided to go home because he didn’t feel comfortable there any longer.
“I was walking home when I heard someone screaming and when I looked back, I saw the suspect driving a knife into my head and he stabbed me in the back.
“Then I turned around and fought for my life and he ran away.”
The LGBTQIA+ activist says this was clearly a homophobic attack.
“If it were a girl or a straight guy, I doubt he would have reacted in that manner,” he says.
“They think that we want every man who passes by… they forget that we also have types of people we want to date and that is not every Jack and John.
“This really upsets me because it happened as Pride Month was coming to an end.
“I’m thankful I made it out alive but everyone needs to understand that we are also humans.”
“A lot needs to be done in this country because we are killed for being ourselves. I don’t understand how it affects other people besides the ones that we love.”
Mandisi says he fears for his life because the attacker is still at large.
Police spokesperson Colonel André Traut says: “The matter is currently under investigation and the suspect is yet to be arrested.”