South Africa’s president condemns gender-based violence

JOHANNESBURG

South Africa’s president Monday condemned the high rate of violence in the country against women and children, calling it a great shame on the nation.

"It goes against our African values and everything we stand for as a people. We grew up being taught that as men and boys, we must respect women and protect children,” Cyril Ramaphosa said at the launch of the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign held in Limpopo province.

He said some men in the country had lost their way by attacking women and girls, yet while growing up, they were taught to never raise a hand against a woman.

"Our communities are in the grip of violence against those we are supposed to protect," he said.

"As I stand before you, I invoke the memories of the many women and girls in this province and throughout the country who have suffered from the brutality of men,” he said, mentioning some of the incidents where women and young girls were brutalized.

He recalled 6-year-old Boitumelo Matsekoleng from Serageng village, who was buried last month after a man raped her and left her for dead.

‘‘We remember 59-year-old Mama Mphephu Sophie Vukeya, a grandmother from Muswana village, who was attacked while collecting firewood and died in hospital in June after being raped and beaten.”

According to annual crime statistics released in September by the South African police, over 40,000 rapes were recorded in 2018 -- roughly one every 15 minutes. Statistics also showed that eight women were murdered in the country every day.

Ramaphosa said the cowardly criminals attacking women and children have absolutely no regard for the sanctity of human life.

“They do not discriminate. The young are attacked, as are the elderly. Boys are raped and abused as well as girls.”

The president said the country was uniting under the theme: “Enough is Enough” because it has truly had enough.

He outlined some of the plans put up by the government to curb the attacks, which included reducing gender-based violence case backlogs at forensic laboratories.

Ramaphosa also said they will develop a tracking mechanism of the cases that will be rolled out in January next year.

He said the government was also establishing national and provincial 24-hour call centers that would deal with complaints against the police and legal officers who handle matters of gender-based violence, among other measures.

“We will not be defeated by this scourge. We will turn the tide. Let us move together, a nation resolute and above all united, to end gender-based violence and femicide forever,” he added.