A  19 years old  young man who experienced emotional abuse, manipulation, intimidation, coercive control, humiliation, isolation, and psychological harm in a relationship with Jade, publicly known as “Miss Peculiar” and on TikTok as “countesschimera.” From the outside, the relationship appeared like a normal online relationship. But behind closed doors, Lethabo experienced emotional exhaustion, fear, pressure, control, and psychological distress that no young person should ever have to endure.

 He stayed, tried to fix things, and continued protecting someone he cared for while gradually losing his own emotional stability in the process. Whenever Lethabo tried to leave the relationship, Jade threatened suicide to stop him from walking away. This created intense emotional pressure and guilt, where leaving no longer felt like a free decision but something tied to responsibility for another person’s life. That is not love, that is emotional blackmail and psychological manipulation.

As time went on, the relationship escalated further. Lethabo also experienced a deeply distressing incident where Jade entered his home without permission, despite being told clearly there was no need to come in person as arrangements had already been made for her belongings , as he was breaking up with her, he was freeing himself as his human right. AND HIS BOUNDARIES  WERE CLEAR, ANYTHING THAT BELONGS TO HER, HE WILL UBER IT , NO NEED TO MEET UP. She forced entry by jumping the gate and entered his space regardless of his objections. During this period, there were also moments of instability where self-harm occurred during conflict, CONFLICT CAUSED BY NOT RESPECTING BOUNDARIES BECAUSE OF CONTROL , creating fear based emotional pressure and making separation even more difficult. Spiritual threats were also made, including claims that harm or death would come to him and his parents if he left the relationship. No relationship should ever become a place of fear, intimidation, anxiety, and emotional terror. Nobody should feel unsafe in their own home because of someone who claims to love them.

Lethabo also experienced extreme isolation and coercive control. He was pressured to distance himself from female friends and limit contact with people in his life. He was also pressured into giving access to personal accounts, and after this, hundreds of women were blocked from his accounts without his consent, 700 and above. Slowly, his independence, boundaries, friendships, and sense of self were controlled and reduced. This is how emotional abuse works. A person does not lose themselves all at once,  it happens gradually through fear, guilt, pressure, and emotional manipulation.

Even after the relationship ended, the emotional intimidation continued. Lethabo was threatened with the release of private intimate videos, including threats that such content would be sent to his father in order to humiliate and emotionally destroy him (revenge porn). He also experienced harassment and threats of false accusations being taken to organisations and public platforms in ways that could damage his reputation and future. WOMEN FOR CHANGE to be specific. In one of the most distressing incidents, Lethabo experienced a serious violation of his personal boundaries and bodily autonomy during the same period where Jade entered his home without permission, SHE SEXUALLY ASSULTED HIM.  After this incident, there was no meaningful accountability or empathy shown by Jade , and the situation was dismissed with the explanation that she was “not in a right state of mind.”

What makes this story even more painful is that adults and family members were aware of what was happening long before it became public. Lethabo reached out for help, including speaking to Jade’s mother, yet no meaningful intervention took place despite repeated warning signs. He was told to MAN UP. 

Lethabo also reached out to Women For Change to share his side of the situation after allegations had already been brought forward through that space. However, he did not receive a response or meaningful opportunity to have his experience considered. Sometimes systems hear one side first. Sometimes they do not fully hear the other. And sometimes, even when someone tries to speak, they are still not acknowledged.

This petition exists because emotional abuse is real. Coercive control is real. Manipulation is real. Isolation is real. Psychological abuse is real. Threats, intimidation, humiliation, revenge threats, and emotional blackmail are real, and their impact can last long after the relationship ends.

This is not about gossip or entertainment. It is about recognising harm and refusing to normalise it . BY SIGNING THIS PETITION, YOU ARE:

• Standing with Lethabo and acknowledging the emotional and psychological harm he experienced.

• Rejecting emotional abuse, coercive control, manipulation, intimidation, and psychological harm in relationships.

• Raising awareness of abuse in young relationships, especially those shaped by social media dynamics.

• Supporting victims who feel isolated, unheard, or emotionally trapped.

• Rejecting the use of threats, humiliation, and private material as tools of control.

• Calling for accountability where harm is experienced and reported.

At the centre of this is a 19-year-old young man who experienced fear, emotional pressure, isolation, and psychological distress in a relationship that became harmful to his wellbeing. 

# HANDS OF LETHABO

# SAY NO TO ABUSE 

# BREAK THE SILENCE 

# END COERCIVE CONTROL 

# JUSTICE FOR MR PECULIAR 

No one should have to survive love.