Beaten but not Broken

by Vanessa Govender

At the height of her journalism career, more than one million households across the country knew her name and her face. Her reportage on human suffering and triumph captivated viewers, and with it Vanessa Govender shot to fame as one of the first female Indian television news reporters in South Africa.
Always chasing the human angle of any news story, Govender made a name for herself by highlighting stories that included the grief of a mother clutching a packet filled with the fragments of the broken bones of her children after they’d been hacked to death by their own father, and another story where she celebrated the feisty spirit of a little girl who was dying of old age, while holding onto dreams that would never be realised.
Yet Govender, a champion for society’s downtrodden, was hiding a shocking story of her own. In Beaten But Not Broken, she finally opens up about her deepest secret – one that so nearly ended her career in broadcast journalism before it had barely kicked off.
She was a rookie reporter at the SABC in 1999. He was a popular radio disc jockey at a radio station catering to nearly half a million Indian people across South Africa. They were the perfect pair, or so it seemed. Behind the scenes the bruising punches, the cracking slaps, and the relentless episodes filled with beatings, kicking and strangling were as ferocious as the emotional and verbal abuse he hurled at her. No one would know the brutal and graphic details of Govender’s story … until now.
In Beaten But Not Broken, this Indian woman does the unthinkable in breaking the ranks of a close-knit conservative community to speak out about her five-year-long hell in this abusive relationship. Her story also lays bare her heart-breaking experiences as a victim of childhood bullying and being ostracised by some in her community for being a dark-skinned Indian girl. Govender tells a graphic story of extreme abuse, living with the pain, and ultimately of how she was saved by her own relentless fighting spirit to find purpose and love.
This is a story of possibilities and hope; it is a story of a true survivor.

198 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 1, 2018

Reviews

[Kinjal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today I finished a book which shook me in many ways. One of which was learning of another woman being sapped of her innate powers from an insecure abuser and ultimately unworthy man.

We will not be silent

Thank you Vanessa Tedder for giving us 'Beaten But Not Broken'

[Vida Sik · Rating 5 out of 5]

This heart-wrenching memoir is a testimony of a strong and resilient woman, who has gone through hell and emerged on the other side. Sharing her story was hard, but it brings hope for the many other women still caught up in abusive relationships. It is only by speaking up that the cycle of violence against women can be broken. It is highly recommended.

[Avid reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Painful memoir, tells everything about her past. I felt like crying most of the book.

[Ruvi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly heartbreaking yet inspiring read. Vanessa’s story is a reminder that anyone can become trapped in the vicious cycle of abuse in a toxic relationship but at the same time it is a story of hope - that we all wield the power of breaking free from abusers and manipulators when we realize our own strength and worth. Not for sensitive/easily triggered readers as it does contain graphic descriptions of abuse and sexual assault.

[Divinia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could not put it down!!! So much to process and so much she has been through. Being an Indian this resonated alot with me. At times i felt sad for the emotions this strong women had to go through. However i am so glad that she found happiness. A must read in my books!

[Charmaine Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A honest true story about how we must first love ourselves to overcome anything ti become who we were always meant to be. Truely inspiring