A young female South African doctor has sparked a nationwide conversation about a form of domestic abuse often shrouded in silence - financial abuse.

In a series of viral videos Dr Celiwe Ndaba opened up about how she said she had been financially exploited by her husband, how it had spiralled and led to their separation.

Often sitting in her car on her way to work, the mother of three vlogged over two weeks about how despite her successful career she had become trapped in a toxic marriage for years, feeling manipulated to fund her husband's lifestyle - in particular his desire to drive a Mercedes Benz.

Taking out loans for him to buy such vehicles was the "worst decision" of her life, putting the family under huge financial pressure, said Dr Ndaba - who since sharing her story has reverted to using her maiden name and the number of her followers has ballooned.

Despite pleas for her husband to downgrade, she said he refused - accusing her of wanting to "turn him into a laughing stock by making him drive a small car".

The medic said she was speaking out as she wanted to issue a warning to others - that it was not only "uneducated" and "less fortunate" women who find themselves in abusive relationships.

Her estranged husband, Temitope Dada, has not responded to a BBC request for comment.

In the wake of the social media storm, he set up a TikTok account, where in one of his first videos he acknowledged: "You may know me as… 'Mr Benz or nothing.'"

The few posts he has made are accompanied by hashtags such as #divorcetrauma - saying the accusations are lies.

Nonetheless, the comments section on Dr Ndaba's TikTok and other social media platforms have transformed into support groups, filled with female breadwinners sharing eerily similar stories.

"You are brave to speak out so publicly… I have been suffering in silence," one person commented.

Bertus Preller, a lawyer based in Cape Town, believes this is because although South African women are becoming doctors, lawyers and entrepreneurs, getting well-paid jobs does not necessarily free them from the clutches of the patriarchy.

Women's financial independence clashes with........

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