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.
We Remember Sibongiseni Gabada
Sibongiseni Gabada, 36, went missing two weeks before her decomposing body was discovered stuffed in a black refuse bag behind her boyfriend shack in Khayelitsha’s H section on May 29.
According to Gabada’s family, her body was found hidden in a bag under old wooden planks behind the boyfriend's shack.
Sithembele Klaas was arrested by police, then released, and then rearrested. The case has been postponed several times.
At the time of her brutal murder Gabada’s younger sister, Nomathamsanqa, said: "By the sounds of what her friends have told us, it was a fairly new relationship. But they confirmed that he was abusive and he bullied her. He would often tell her what to do, what not to do.
“He told police that she arrived at his shack on the 24th and he left her there, when he returned the next day she was already dead and he stuffed her body in the bag she was found in with the intention of dumping it near the hospital. If she was already dead, why move her, is that not a crime on its own?” Nomathamsanqa asked.
“I just want to know why he did what he did, if they had maybe gotten into a fight, why did he not kick her out and let her go home, why kill her and discard of her body like a dog,” said the distraught sister.
Gabada who was a anti gender-based violence activist, also worked with musician and actor Zola on his Zola 7 TV series: “She was dedicated to the opportunities she got and worked very hard. She had big dreams and one could tell she came from a background of values and tradition and she was going somewhere,” he told Timeslive.
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