Durban - The EFF has rejected South Africa's joining of the Generation Equality Action Coalitions as a global leader of the Action Coalition on Economic Justice and Rights and Gender Based Violence.
The red berets said that it was unfathomable that a country with such high levels of Gender Based Violence and femicide could be given such a role, adding that South Africa was instead a leader in the undermining of women's rights and had shown no plan in uplifting women in the economy and defending their dignity.
This is against a backdrop of soaring GBVF cases in the country.
The EFF’s stance comes after South Africa recently joined the Generation Equality transformation agenda global campaign that aims to achieve gender equality and end the discrimination and violence against women and to ensure their equal participation in political, social and economic life by 2030.
President Cyril Ramaphosa revealed in his weekly column that as a part of the campaign, South Africa had joined two ‘Action Coalitions’.
“One (action coalition) is for economic justice and rights and another against gender-based violence. Both of these themes are critical to our own national agenda.
One of the key announcements on his administration’s plans to fast track equality in the public sector was to drive women’s economic inclusion through public procurement by setting the target of ensuring that at least 40% of goods and services procured by public entities are sourced from women-owned businesses.
However, the EFF’s national spokesperson Vuyani Pambo said that the announcement that South Africa was a global leader of the Action Coalition on Economic Justice and Rights was a mistake of monumental proportions.
“The South African government has not only shown its hatred and brutality towards women and children, but it has been at the centre of gross human rights violations and rampant corruption where money meant to service the very women and children has been looted without consequences for years.
“South Africa is a nation gripped with Gender Based Violence, which is sustained by institutional incompetence.
“The judiciary of South Africa is littered with judges who hand down lenient sentences for crimes relating to sexual assault and prioritise perpetrators above victims. It is a country with a police system that turns away victims of domestic abuse,” Pambo said.
The crime statistics released less than two weeks ago by Police Minister Bheki Cele painted a horrifying picture of the levels of gender based violence and femicide perpetrated against women in South Africa which saw an increase of 1.7% in sexual offences.
Political Bureau