President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared three days of mourning, from November 25 to 29, for victims of Covid-19 and gender-based violence.
Through our We Remember campaign, we too will pay tribute to some of the more than 20 000 people who have died due to the coronavirus pandemic and commemorate women who have died violently at the hands of men.
One such victim is 28-year-old Tshegofatso Pule who was found hanging from a tree close to Florida Road in Roodepoort in June. She was 8 months pregnant when she was brutally stabbed to death.
She was reportedly last seen alive while getting into a cab which her boyfriend had summoned for her.
Muzikayise Malephane has been charged with Tshegofatso’s murder but police are investigating allegations that he did not work alone in planning her murder and that he was allegedly promised R70 000 to kill her.
Pule’s family has yet to hear how or why she was killed.
“We are preparing ourselves for a difficult journey of having to relive the last moments of Tshegofatso. Her last moments on earth. But it’s a journey we as the family are prepared to take, especially if we want to get justice,” family spokesperson Tumisang Katake said before Malehane’s last court appearance.
The case is ongoing, and the Pule family are optimistic that justice will be served for their daughter and sister.
To the families of those who have died from Covid-19 or gender-based violence this year, we share your pain, we know their names and most of all, we remember.
#WeRemember #DontLookAway #16Days
IOL