Johannesburg - Soaring numbers of gender-based violence (GBV) cases and femicide have raised calls for more awareness to fight the scourge outside of National Women’s Day and Women’s Month.
As the country marked National Women’s Day, families bemoaned the war on women and children at a time when it was battling the coronavirus pandemic.
Families of victims used Women’s Day to raise questions about the need for increased awareness regarding GBV and femicide all year round.
Vincent Ndlovu, the brother of 28-year-old Smangele Ndlovu from Ivory Park, who died June, told The Star on Monday he wished Women’s Day was every day so fighting GBV and femicide remained a priority all year round. (Nyiko Elvis Dhlamini has been charged with Smangele's murder.)
“I wish we spoke about this every day until we fixed the problem, instead of waiting for Women’s Day, and then it fizzles out,” he said.
Tumisang Katake, the uncle of 28-year-old Tshegofatso Pule, whose murder in Soweto sent shockwaves throughout the nation after her body was found hanging from a tree, said: “Since the lockdown, the spotlight on GBV has improved but if it wasn’t for the lockdown we would maybe only know about these things during Women’s Month.”
Katake added there should be campaigns that spread to schools and communities. “It’s at the ground level where we need to work,” he said.
Samantha Smith, the mother of Zoey-Lee Smith from Eldorado Park, who had to have her eye surgically removed after being hit in the face with a mug, added her voice to the growing calls to keep the fight for women at the front and centre of crime fighting. (Zoey-Lee’s stepfather Earl Spencer has been charged with assault.)
“Not enough is being done and communities are also not standing together,” she said.
The 2019/20 crime statistics, released by the Minister of Police Bheki Cele on July 31, reported that from the previous year, crimes against women decreased by just 4.8% from 179683 to 171070.
It was reported that murders of women decreased by 2.7% (from 2 771 to 2 695), as well as sexual offences which decreased by 15% (from 36 597 to 31 100), however, common assault against women increased by 0.6% from 82 728 to 83 202.
The statistics for intimate partner violence were not clear. However, the report showed that about 22 850 contact crime cases, which include common assault, assault cases of assault with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm, murder and attempted murder, by girlfriends/boyfriends were documented, 8 868 cases of contact crimes by ex-partners were reported, while 6638 cases of contact crime by spouses were reported.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, during his virtual National Women’s Day address on Sunday, pleaded with the nation to no longer ignore women and children’s cries for protection.
“We can no longer, as a nation, ignore the deafening cries of women and children for protection, for help and for justice,” he said.
Ramaphosa added one of the most important ways to reduce the vulnerability of women to GBV was to enable them to become financially independent.
South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) spokesperson Gushwell Brooks said the commission was saddened by the escalation of GBV.
“What these statistics show clearly is that South Africa remains an unsafe place for women,” he said.
Bafana Khumalo, of Sonke Gender Justice, said GBV and femicide threatened the very fabric of South Africa’s diverse communities.
“We need political will, economic inclusiveness and robust institutions that refuse to mete out structural violence on women to protect the status quo,” he said.
@Chulu_M
The Star