Pretoria - Civil activism group #NotInMyName South Africa called for people across country to unite and firmly support women and children falling victim to abuse and crime this 16 Days of Activism.
Secretary-general Themba Masango made the call outside the Pretoria Magistrate Court when he joined fellow activists who went to court to support the family of a 12-year-old girl who was allegedly raped by a popular Mamelodi businessman.
Masango said, in the interest of smooth and swift justice, he was a bit disappointed that the case was postponed to December 5 because the accused wanted to change his legal council. However, he took comfort in the fact that the accused remained in police custody.
“Last week, On the last appearance, the family of the victim said it received threats from the accused’s friends and today were were here to say the justice system should not grant him bail on that base, and also because this is a very serious crime.
“We want the accused to be prosecuted so that the justice system may establish if he is guilty of not. In the meantime we are calling on all communities across the country to stand together and fight women and children abuse for this 16 Days of Activism and beyond.
“We want the fight against such injustices to be sustained for 365 days each year. That’s why #NotInMyName went from being a campaign to become a movement,” he said.
Masango said #NotInMyName supported Independent Media’s Don’t Look Away campaign. He said the campaign encouraged people to actively take a firm stand against abuse; something #NotInMyName also advocated for.