Pretoria - The Soshanguve Magistrate's Court should deal exclusively with cases of gender-based violence and child abuse.
This was the view of the men of Cope during a silent protest outside the court in a bid to convince the Department of Correctional Services and Justice to deal with these cases with urgency.
They argued that Tshwane, like most parts of the country, had heard enough singing about the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children. It was now time for practical action to combat the scourge.
Leading those demonstrating outside the court in the busy main road was Cope national spokesperson Dennis Bloem, who said it made no sense for cases of abuse and violence against women and children to take three years to be finalised.
He said the party would submit a memorandum directly to Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Ronald Lamola and the entire Cabinet.
Bloem said Tshwane needed a court that would address the backlog in these kind of cases and this court was best suited as it was already catering for communities that experienced high levels of violence and abuse against women and children.
"This court should no longer be dealing with cases of robbery, theft and housebreaking. It must focus on cases like rape, domestic violence, child abuse and child negligence which continue to haunt this country.
"We are here taking a stand because we want justice. The courts make victims feel like perpetrators because the prosecutors are not seen as protecting them enough and the attorneys of the perpetrators make them (the victims) feel like the perpetrators.
"We want every single prosecutor, magistrate and every other court official to know that they’ll be dealing with these kind of cases. We believe that will develop a lot of expertise and sensitivity from the first official to the investigating officers, court officials and the magistrate.
"Perpetrators will only stop if the justice system can assure that they are arrested, successfully prosecuted and convicted for the crimes many of them are currently getting away with due to postponements that can take years."
Bloem said violence against women and children could not merely be a dealt with through a song every day… this year's 16 Days campaign had to produce practical results. We must bring hope to millions of depressed women who can't live in peace in their townships, villages or suburbs.
“We will demand that a life sentence must mean life in prison for raping or killing a woman or child,” Bloem said.
“The women and people of the country are tired of empty promises… we want to see action. We must deal with gender-based violence like a dog dealing with a bone.”
Bloem was joined by Cope students from Tshwane University of Technology who demanded the government implement measures to prevent and deal with GBV.
Pretoria News