Carlo Petersen
A RED mosaic bench has been installed in Bredasdorp in memory of Anene Booysen, Kayde Williams and Elda Jafta, three girls who were brutally murdered over the past two years.
The Safer Space Bench, to honour the lives of Anene, 17, 5-year-old Kayde and Elda, 14, was unveiled outside the Bredasdorp Magistrate’s Court yesterday as part of an initiative by an NGO called Rock Girl, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, and the South African Board for Sheriffs.
Rock Girl founder India Baird and Hishaam Mohamed, provincial head of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, unveiled the bench with girls from Bredasdorp and Rock Girls from the Cape Flats.
Baird said
: “The bench symbolises that the court is a safe place for the girls while also being a reminder of Anene, Kayde and Elda. Their families were all there and the gesture was very touching.
“It’s also great to see the commitment shown by the Justice Department which speaks volumes about government taking the safety of women seriously.”
Rock Girl had visited the Bredasdorp court on Youth Day, June 16, and came up with the idea of a Safer Space Bench to be placed outside the court in memory of Anene, Kayde and Elda.
Lee Anne Jenkins, 15, from Manenberg said being a Rock Girl has changed her life.
“It helped me through difficult times. It has also inspired me to be a role model to others in my community and to speak out for girls who are silenced.
“We are back today to support the girls from Bredasdorp and to leave this bench – a reminder of our belief in them. We hope it will give them courage and strength,” Jenkins said.
Mohamed said the installation of the bench is part of an ongoing collaboration between Rock Girl and the Justice Department to find lasting solutions to the pervasive violence facing girls and women.
While in Bredasdorp, Mohamed also announced that the provincial Justice Crime Prevention and Security Cluster (JCPSC) had co-ordinated a unified Women’s Month Programme in the province. “We remain concerned about the abuse of women and children in our province. It is for this reason that we decided to focus our programme this year on the 16 areas with the highest incidents of domestic violence and rape in the Western Cape.
“As the JCPSC we are entrusted to implement our government’s delivery agreement aimed at ensuring that the people of Bredasdorp ‘Are and Feel Safe’.”
Mohamed encouraged women to use the court services and support systems.