[ad_1]
President Cyril Ramaphosa declared the scourge of gender-based violence a second pandemic that the country had to contend with in 2020.
A mourner holds a placard demanding justice for Tshegofatso Pule at his funeral in Meadowlands, Soweto. The murdered 28-year-old man was buried on June 11, 2020. Image: Kayleen Morgan / EWN
JOHANNESBURG – The year 2020 demanded the government’s full attention in the fight against gender-based violence, and President Cyril Ramaphosa declared it a second pandemic.
Fears that abuse cases would escalate during the COVID-19 shutdown became a reality, and the government made funds available to establish and equip shelters for women and children.
But the president has reiterated that gender violence cannot be fought only by the government.
With every announcement made by Ramaphosa, the message has been the same: “We must all play our role in supporting survivors of gender-based violence and respecting the rights of women and children in our families and communities.”
READ: CYRIL RAMAPHOSA: 3 new gender violence bills seek to restore survivors’ trust in justice
But it seems the call is falling on deaf ears.
In his July report, Police Minister Bheki Cele said rape incidents had increased by 706 cases compared to the same period last year.
Rape cases registered an increase of 1.7%, with more than 53,000 cases in 2020 alone.
And the police detected 1,638 more sex crimes than the previous year.
WATCH: Bheki Cele Releases Second Quarter Crime Statistics
South Africa maintained its place as the rape capital of the world, with around 132 incidents per 100,000 people.
BRUTAL MURDERS
Tshegofatso Pule, Naledi Phangindawo, Alexia Nyamadzawo, Nolundi Dondolo and many others were victims of gender-based violence and were brutally murdered at the hands of abusers in 2020.
The murder of an 8-month-pregnant Pule shocked the world after her body was found lynched in a tree in Florida.
His funeral was heartbreaking and his family distraught.
WATCH: Tshegofatso Pule rests
At just 6 years old, the story of Alexia Nyamadzawo broke the hearts of many South Africans.
She was allegedly pulled from the back seat of her mother’s car and her body was found in a sugar cane field on the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal.
Shortly after, a suspect was arrested and the mother of the six-year-old girl was charged with her murder.
“We suspected that the child had been abducted, but it became clear that there were many cracks in the stories and it was then that the mother was detained for questioning by detectives,” said Jay Naiker of the police.
The Solidarity Fund, created by the president at the beginning of the pandemic, allocated R18 million to efforts to combat gender-based violence.
“The national shelter movement is a network of 78 shelters in the nine provinces. The Thuthuzela care centers, run by the NPA, have 55 centers in the nine provinces. We were able to expand the GBV command center with 40 stations. additional workloads and laptops needed to be able to cope with the increased demand that call centers were receiving. We have also stepped up communication efforts around gender-based violence, “said Nicola Gelombik of the fund.
Ramaphosa said that it is men and not women who must change their behavior to end gender-based violence.
JUSTICE DELAYED
While calls for the full power of the law to be applied to perpetrators of gender-based violence continue to grow, it has been a year of victories and losses for the families of the victims.
With the COVID-19 pandemic bringing the world to a halt, many operations and services in the country came to a halt, including the judiciary.
During the hard lockdown, only urgent cases were heard, which meant unavoidable delays on many other matters.
Tshegofatso Pule’s body was found hanging from a tree in Durban Deep in June after she went to visit her boyfriend.
Despite the closure, her family hoped that their case would be resolved quickly and that the man accused of brutally killing her, Muzikayise Malephane, would be tried in high court.
His uncle Tumisang Katake, who represented the murderer of Karabo Mokoena, gave a moving speech at Pule’s funeral.
“Now I know how it feels. Now I know what the Karabo family went through. Yes, I did my job, but now I know how it feels. You come to me and tell me that you have raped, go to hell! To me and tell me you’ve killed your girlfriend, go to hell! “
Pule’s aunt, Pricilla Giwu, made a peace offering to all the South African men in the form of roses.
“We give up! I want all the young women to hand out flowers to you men. To all the boys in blue uniforms, treat us with courtesy when we are hurting. Empathize with us.”
Police believe Malephane did not kill Pule alone.
The matter will return to court next year for pre-trial proceedings.
In another case, the family of TVET college student Capricorn Precious Ramabulana has mourned an entire year lost in her murder case.
The 21-year-old was found at her residence in Botlokwa in 2019. She had been stabbed 52 times.
Aubrey Manaka was arrested and charged with her rape and murder, but there have been delays in the case.
After a Eyewitness news Exclusive interview with the mother of another Manaka victim, the State accused him of raping a 5-year-old boy.
LOOK: ‘If Precious hadn’t been killed, would you have come back for our case?’ – family of a 5-year-old boy raped
However, the police have struggled to gather evidence in the case, and the magistrate’s patience is wearing thin.
The matter is scheduled to go to trial in Polokwane High Court early next year.
But some families were able to see that justice was served in 2020.
The family of the murdered Johannesburg University student Palesa Madiba finally saw their daughter’s killer convicted seven years later.
Madiba was killed by her friend’s uncle, Dumisani Mkhwanazi. You must return to court on February 26 for the pre-sentencing process.
ALSO READ: Palesa Madiba’s family says justice was served after the killer was found guilty
President Ramaphosa has called on South Africans to take a firm stand against the gender-based violence pandemic, warning that those who turned a blind eye must consider the consequences of their silence.
CLOCK: 2020: The year that was
Download the EWN app on your iOS or Android device.
[ad_2]
