• Tebogo Thobejane survived a 2022 shooting in Sandton but says she does not trust the state's witness protection programme.

• She says the rules would also ruin her influencer career, while her injured friend now relies on family to cover medical bills.

Actress and influencer Tebogo Thobejane has refused to enter the state's witness protection programme, saying she fears it could put her life in more danger.

Thobejane survived a shooting in Sandton in 2022 after leaving Signature nightclub with a friend. Her ex-boyfriend, businessman Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala, and co-accused Musa Kekana and Tiego Mabusela were later arrested. They face charges including attempted murder and money laundering.

In an affidavit, Thobejane said she suspected Matlala, his wife Tsakani Baloyi, and others were behind the attack. Police then offered her protection, Sunday World reported.

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But she refused. "My concern was that the same police protecting me might be working with the people who want me dead. I could walk right into a trap," she said.

She also said the strict rules of the programme would end her career. Witnesses in protection cannot use social media or travel abroad. "I'm an influencer. I earn a living online. If I can't post or travel, how will I survive? That is why I left the country," she said.

Thobejane also criticised the government for spending millions on a commission into police and courts while victims are left struggling. Her friend, who was shot during the same attack, is now in a wheelchair and has received no state help.

"There is no money for her medical bills. Her family and I are paying for her treatment ourselves," she said.

Thobejane has since started a foundation to fight gender-based violence but says it has not received support from the state.