BEHIND the glitz and glamour of the Hollywoodbets Durban July, Dominic Zaca wore her pain in pearls to shine a light on the alleged abuse she suffered in private.
The KZN-raised content creator and Moja Love's The Way Ngingakhona star explicitly stated that her dress was not about glamour, but rather, it was about healing.
The 33-year-old Dominic said the custom pearl-covered dress helped her reclaim what she allegedly lost during the 2024 Durban July, when she claimed her ex-boyfriend abused her and ruined her outfit.
While other celebrities joyfully dressed according to this year's theme, Country Allure, Dominic chose a different path.
She wore pearls to heal from the alleged abuse she said she experienced at last year's Durban July.
Speaking intimately to her followers, Dominic said her ex-boyfriend physically abused her and ruined her black shweshwe dress, which was designed by Indoni Fashion House.
She said the dress had pearls on it, but her ex-boyfriend allegedly ripped them off and they fell to the ground.
"I'll never forget hearing the sounds as he was abusing me. The sounds of the pearls from my dress falling to the ground and rolling on the floor in a hotel room.
"He then got into my Uber and went out and had a beautiful time, while I lay in bed nursing my wounds and pain," said Dominic.
"This year, when Omoda said, 'Dominic, let's go,' I said, 'Omoda, you don't know what you're healing'.
"I knew what the theme was and I liked the theme. But I wanted to wear my pearls again because this time, that man was not there to remove them. He was not there to take them from me. He was not there to break them and he was not there to do anything."
Dominic's white dress was heavily covered in pearls, and she said wearing it was a vital part of her healing process.
She said the beautiful dress made her feel protected and gave her the assurance that no one would ever take her pearls away from her again.
"I came to the hotel room, and all of my pearls were still there. It was not just a dress, and I don't care about the theme. I was here to heal me," she said.
Dominic admitted it took her a year to heal from the trauma.
She stated that she hoped the woman her ex-boyfriend had moved on with would not allow anyone to take her pearls away from her.
The situation aligns with actions she took in March, where Dominic revealed shocking allegations against her ex-boyfriend.
She claimed he abused her physically, emotionally, and financially.
