The growing challenge of gender-based violence (GBV) in the country is on top of the African National Congress (ANC)’s priority list. ANC Deputy President Paul Mashatile, says the party is taking heed of calls to tighten the law on GBV cases. This came out during the organisation’s 2019 Manifesto Review rally in Thaba Nchu, east of Bloemfontein.
Mashatile says through the manifesto review they have learnt from members, that the party has to do more to combat crimes committed against women and children. He claims that the party is looking into tightening the law against perpetrators.
Mashatile elaborates, “That’s on top of our agenda, the issue of women’s gender-based violence. We are making sure that the laws are tightened. We want the police to do their work, so we are not going to tire in the fight against gender-based violence. It’s our number one priority.”
The slain magistrate who was also the acting judge of the Free State Division of the High Court – Mamello Thamae, was buried over the weekend in Bloemfontein. She was brutally murdered, allegedly by her husband.
Her body was discovered in the boot of a vehicle by the Lesotho Mounted Police. She and her estranged husband had earlier gone missing from their home in Heilbron in the Free State.
Mannehileng Letuka of the Bloemfontein-based action group against gender-based violence, The Empowerment Institute for Women, says serious intervention is needed.
“I think honestly when we talk about gender-based violence, we can never say cases are reducing, for as long as we still have people that are reporting this kind of cases, for us it says we still not where we supposed to be. One of the classic examples that I can make, one can talk about the Mamello Thamae case, I mean we have all seen that. It’s evident that even when we talk about gender-based violence, it doesn’t matter who you are, but where we are sitting as a country honestly, we need a very serious intervention to combat the scourge. Letuka says her organisation will stop at nothing to support efforts that seek to end the scourge of GBV.
“One of the most important things, it’s what the Deputy President of the ruling party has mentioned that Gender Based Violence is one of their top agendas that they are discussing as the organisation, when they review their manifesto, and that clearly says to us at least there is still hope and we honestly believe that this time there will be serious implementation, yes there can be talks of some sort, but what we need is implementation. And in as much as there will be implementations to deal with gender-based violence issues, we need people that will make sure that these interventions are being monitored and evaluated, so that we can be able to see the progress.” The ANC Women’s League has also weighed in. Theodora Mosala of the ANC Women’s League in the Free State.
“It’s a worrying factor because you find a situation whereby women are not even safe in their own home as a result we are worried about it. It’s a major concern to us. The ANC concedes that it has not achieved everything as set out in its 2019, but says it’s a work in progress.
Source: eNCA
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