Kim

In 2017, 21-year-old Stellenbosch University student Hannah Cornelius was carjacked after dropping off a friend in the early hours of the morning. She was brutally gang-raped, stabbed in the neck, and mu*dered when a 37.5-kilogram rock was dropped on her head. The details of what happened are deeply disturbing. On May 27, 2017, Hannah and her friend, 22-year-old Cheslin Marsh, were sitting in her grandmother’s blue-and-white Volkswagen Citi Golf outside his residence in Stellenbosch, South Africa, saying their goodbyes. Four men approached the vehicle and threatened them with a sharpened screwdriver and a knife through the open window. Vernon Witbooi, Geraldo Parsons, and Eben van Niekerk forced their way into the car. At approximately 3:40 a.m., the vehicle drove away with all five people inside. Cheslin was forced into the boot while the group drove to a drug dealer’s home, where they smoked crystal meth before continuing through Stellenbosch. At 4:34 a.m., CCTV footage captured Witbooi entering a petrol station and attempting to use Cheslin’s stolen bank card. The PIN he had been given was incorrect. Near Kraaifontein, the men stopped and dragged Cheslin from the boot. They forced him onto the ground, beat him over the head with bricks, and left him unconscious. Hannah was taken to an isolated paintball range, where she was gang-r*ped by multiple men over several hours. She was then driven to Groenhof Farm, stabbed in the neck, and k*lled when a 37.5-kilogram rock was dropped onto her head twice. Her body was discovered later that morning. Cheslin eventually regained consciousness and managed to walk to the nearest home he could find. He survived, but was left permanently deaf in one ear. Witbooi and Parsons were arrested that afternoon following a police chase. Van Niekerk and Nashville Julius were arrested the following day. In November 2018, the Western Cape High Court sentenced Witbooi, Parsons, and van Niekerk to two life sentences each for Hannah’s r*pe and mu*der. Julius received 22 years for robbery and kidnapping. At the sentencing, Hannah’s father, Willem Cornelius, spoke words that captured the devastation experienced by her family: “Our family died on the day Hannah died.” Willem died on December 9, 2022. Hannah’s mother, Anna, had been found dead in the South Atlantic Ocean in March 2018. Her death was ruled accidental. And Hannah’s younger brother, who has autism, continued asking when his sister was coming home. A young woman’s life was stolen in an act of unimaginable violence. Her family was left carrying a grief that no sentence could ever undo. Hannah deserved a future filled with love, laughter, and possibility. May her memory never be forgotten.

Ruben was born in a private zoo in the mountains of Armenia. When the zoo’s owner died, the facility closed. The other animals found new homes, but nobody came for Ruben, a 10-year-old lion. For the next six years, he lived alone in a concrete cell. His roaring gradually stopped. Those who checked on him heard only an occasional cry. Eventually, Animal Defenders International (ADI) stepped in and arranged to rescue him. Ruben was moved to a bear sanctuary in Armenia for treatment. Years of poor nutrition and almost no exercise had left him weak. His legs trembled when he walked, and veterinarians suspected spinal problems. Because his transport crate was too large for a regular flight, a cargo airline generously flew him to freedom at no cost. On August 23, 2023, after approximately 15 hours in the air, Ruben arrived at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary in South Africa. For the first time in nearly six years, he could hear and see other lions. And then something beautiful happened. Ruben began roaring again. The sanctuary staff say his roars have been growing louder ever since. His new enclosure includes grassy slopes and a shelter with heated floors. Staff even gave him a bag of catnip, which he happily played with for a long time. Ruben still faces serious challenges. Cataracts cloud his eyes, and sometimes his legs give way beneath him. He will need specialized care for the rest of his life. But now, he is no longer alone. He lives among other lions, enjoys the sunshine, and has finally found a place where he can feel safe. After six years of silence and isolation, Ruben’s roar has returned. And this time, the world is listening.