Charlize reacts to Olympic star’s murder: ‘As a South African, this hits home’

South African actress Charlize Theron has paid tribute to Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei who was murdered by her partner this week…

Charlize Theron has drawn from her own painful past in a tribute to Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei, who was brutally murdered by her partner this week.

The long-distance runner – who recently participated at the summer games in Paris – died due to horrific injuries after being set alight over a land dispute.

In 1991, Charlize’s mother shot and killed her Hollywood actress’s father, who was physically and verbally abusive to the family.

CHARLIZE THERON PAYS TRIBUTE TO UGANDAN OLYMPIC STAR

In an Instagram post, Charlize Theron paid tribute to the athlete following her tragic death this week.

The South African star shared: “Heartbroken and ill learning of Ugandan Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei’s murder at the hands of her ex-boyfriend.

She added: “For all the work that’s been done to fight it, gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide continue as a GLOBAL pandemic. As a South African, this hits home for me”.

Charlize posted stats that state that 1 in 3 women experience sexual or physical violence in their lifetime. She added that in 2023, the World Bank declared nearly half the population of women in Eastern and Southern Africa have been victims of GBV.

She added: “We are failing women and girls. Our leaders must do more. Our communities must do more. We must do more.

STANDING UP TO GBV

Charlize Theron is known not only for her award-winning Hollywood roles but also for her charity work and activism, particularly toward women and children.

The Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP) has sought to fight GBV by providing resources to women and girls in distress, including safe accommodation/shelter, support and counseling, helplines and crisis intervention, sexual and reproductive health services, legal services, and community-based prevention and advocacy work.

Charlize Theron is a respected actress and philanthropist. Her advocacy work is dedicated to fighting GBV. Image via Instagram @charlizeafrica
In 1999, Charlize filmed an advert titled “Real Men Don’t Rape” about the horrific rape and sexual violence states of the women living in her birth country.

In the short ad, the star says to the camera:  “People often ask me what South African men are like. It’s not that easy to say what the men in South Africa are like. Because there seem to be so few of them out there.”

The controversial advert was banned after an organisation called A Group of Concerned Men, claimed the advert implied that all South African men were rapists.

A SURVIVOR OF GBV

Charlize’s GBV stance stems from her own painful childhood, which included being subjected to domestic abuse by her alcoholic father, Charles.

When she was just 15 years old, Charlize’s mother, Gerda, shot and killed her husband after he threatened to harm their family.

The murder was ruled self-defense, and Gerda was acquitted on all charges.

Charlize said of her mother in an interview in 2017: “She’s a huge inspiration in my life. She’s never really had therapy. So a mother who never really had therapy dealing with something like that. Trying to get your child out of that. Her philosophy was, ‘This is horrible. Acknowledge that this is horrible. Now, make a choice. Will this define you? Are you going to sink, or are you going to swim?’ That was it”.