Pretoria - Hundreds of women marched on Friday for interventions in controlling the widespread problem of gender-based violence (GBV).
Led by People Opposing Women Abuse (Powa), they called for help desks at police stations and three key bills introduced to Parliament against gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF).
Without interventions, the situation would not improve, they said as they handed memoranda to the minister of police and National Prosecuting Authority in Silverton.
They said interventions against GBVF needed to come from the highest offices in the country.
They brought traffic to a slowdown on Stanza Bopape street, as they protested against the violence inflicted on women and children.
The amendment bills had been spoken about by President Cyril Ramaphosa, who said they were designed to fill the gaps that allowed perpetrators of gender-based crimes to evade justice.
Mary Makgaba, the CEO of Powa, handed a memorandum to Police Minister Bheki Cele at Silverton police station, and then to advocate Shamila Batohi at the NPA.
Cele said: “We are trying to get a dedicated person with specialised skills so you are not just treated by any available person at the police station.”
The women are calling for better policing, an evaluation of the effectiveness of legislation to address femicide, and no bail for those arrested for GBV.
They want the backlog of cases dealt with and humane treatment of victims so they do not suffer secondary victimisation.
Makgaba described gender-based violence and femicide as a national disaster.
“A woman is killed every three hours in South Africa and our femicide rate is five times the global average.”
The march came as a man was arrested in connection with the brutal murder of a woman and her five children in the Eastern Cape. Police believe the man was trying to flee the country.
Pretoria News