Cape Town – Another young girl has been murdered, this
time in Mfuleni, with police yet to make an
arrest.
The 16-year-old’s body was found in a backyard on Sunday morning.
Activist groups condemned the attack and said it served as a harsh reminder that South Africa was far from stopping the scourge of violence against women and girls.
Police spokesperson Noloyiso Rwexana said police attended to a complaint at Umzumbe Road at 7.50am.
“Mfuleni police have opened a case of murder. They found the deceased with head injuries,” Rwexana said.
Children’s rights organisation Molo Songololo director Patric Solomons said they were concerned by the incident.
“Another weekend of murder in Cape Town has claimed the lives of young people.
“Molo Songololo is very concerned that the killing continues, despite increased efforts to prevent these horrible crimes,” said Solomons.
“The recent police crime summit and the deployment of the army seems to have little effect on stopping or reducing the killing on the Cape Flats and elsewhere.
“The killers are usually young men who grew up with violence. A co-ordinated prevention programme with effective policing must be a priority to stop the killing,” he added.
Ilitha Labantu spokesperson Siyabulela Monakali said different measures were needed fight the scourge of violence against women.
“In light of having one of the world’s most progressive constitutions which spells out the protection of women and children, the annual statistics paint a society that preys on its women and children.
“If the rate of violence against women increases annually, we cannot claim to be making any real progress.
“We need to do better to protect our women and girls against this senseless violence.”
Monakali added that South Africa’s femicide rate was five times higher than the global rate, and key findings indicated that a woman was killed every eight hours in South Africa.
“We need to see the implementation of transformative measures that seek to address this scourge of violence.
“We urge that communities should also play their role in helping to root out the scourge,” said Monakali.
Anyone with information can anonymously contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or SMS Crime Line on 32211.