Patrick Shai’s wife accused of being unnecessary for being honest about his abuse

Patrick Shai’s wife accused of being unnecessary for being honest about his abuse

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Acting veteran Patrick Shai was laid to rest this morning. His passing follows the alleged depression that drove him to commit suicide. His last moments on social media tarnished his image as he challenged Cassper Nyovest to a match using vulgar language. But, in the words of his wife Mmasechaba Shai, “he was not perfect, he made mistakes” and that was the highlighted mistake leading to his passing.

It’s no secret that Patrick Shai used to abuse his wife to a point of no return. The whole country knows this. It is then startling that when she gave out her speech and said “I used to be a victim of this man,” Twitter commented on the matter accusing her of trying to ruin his image. Yes, he was reformed and used the guilt from abusing her as an instrument to fight against GBV, but that does not change the fact that his abusiveness is a big part of who he was.

I am not saying he was an abuser even when he stopped, I’m saying that his abuse towards her is what led to him campaigning against abuse. Be that as it may, social media should not silence her from speaking about that part of her experience with him.

We need to do away with telling lies at funerals, dying does not erase the pain that the deceased caused to the people left behind. We can embrace his excellence without making his wife feel terrible for telling the truth in the name of being deemed ‘unnecessary’ by strangers who knew him from TV’s length.