By Lungile Ntimba
Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, has reiterated calls for stronger cooperation between communities, civil society and community policing forums in the fight against gender-based violence and femicide.
She has urged them to work closely with law enforcement agencies.
This follows the death of 30-year-old Olorato Mongale, whose body was found near Lombardy, north of Johannesburg. She had reportedly gone on a date with her alleged killer, who had picked her up from a residential complex in Athol on Sunday.
“The murder of Olorato Mongale and many other women is a painful reminder that women, girls and persons with disabilities continue to be victims of violence in the hands of loved ones,” Chikunga said in a statement.
She condemned GBVF, describing it as the most egregious manifestation of gender inequality. It was a pressing challenge to global public health, human rights and development.
“Gender-based violence and femicide is not merely a private concern; it constitutes a grave public crime that infringes upon the most fundamental human rights of women and girls, including their right to live free from violence.”
Chikunga said GBVF was preventable, noting that substantial evidence showed changing social norms was crucial.
She advocated for comprehensive, multi-sectoral approaches aimed at addressing violence and transforming social norms and attitudes across all strata of society.
Chikunga’s deputy, Mmapaseka Letsike, said that a societal response to GBVF must recognise the deep-rooted causes of the scourge, including inequality, systemic discrimination and societal norms.
“We are to speed up and address these issues through education, awareness campaigns, policy changes, and most importantly, through justice for victims,” Letsike said.
“We need members of society and law enforcement agencies to help us unmask perpetrators of GBVF in our communities, such as the one that murdered Olerato. These are men who don’t deserve to be amongst us and should be held accountable for their actions.”
As the chair of the G20 Economic Empowerment of Women Working Group, Chikunga highlighted the department’s commitment to tackling GBVF, alongside promoting gender equality in the workplace and addressing the care economy (both paid and unpaid).
The department was also focused on increasing women’s labour force participation, closing the gender pay gap and ensuring financial inclusion for women.
The ANC Women’s League has also condemned the rise in femicide, citing research from the South African Medical Research Council, which defined it as an extreme form of gender-based Violence.
ANCWL secretary-general Nokuthula Nqaba said the statistics were a disgrace for a country that prided itself on having one of the most revered constitutional democracies in the world.
The league noted a disturbing trend in violence against women from non-spousal relationships, where women were lured in social media by unknown men and courted into secluded locations.
“We thus make a call to women in general to be extra vigilant of going out with people they made acquaintance with online, and to opt for public places when going to private excursions on their first date, with lots of activity and people in case of any eventuality.
“Olorato’s tragic killing is one of many incidents where women are enticed by men through social media platforms whilst the villain has dubious plans for the victim disguised as a date,” said Nqaba.
According to the police’s latest crime statistics, sexual offences are up. Gauteng and KZN contributed 19.1% and 19.9% respectively to the national total of rapes.
INSIDE POLITICS