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PRESS RELEASE


** No respite from gender-based violence for women despite COVID-19 pandemic
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** 14 June 2020 · For Immediate Release
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The brutal murders of Naledi Phangindawo a 26 year old mother of three and Tshegofatso Pule who was 8 months pregnant has forced us to relive the trauma of August 2019 when in a space of a week, University of Cape Town (UCT) student Uyinene Mrwetyana and boxing champion Leighandre ‘Baby Lee’ Jegels lost their lives at the hands of violent men.

Tragically, these deaths are a snapshot of the ongoing state of emergency where lives of women are viewed as a cheap commodity. It has not even been a year since Uyinene’s death yet, despite the lockdown there seems to be no respite from gender-based violence for women.

It should be noted, these murders have occurred on the heels of the President receiving the National Strategic Plan on Gender Based Violence and Femicide (NSP-GBVF) as well as the Emergency Response Action Plan (ERAP) this May.

This is a clear indicator to the government that there is no room to delay in the implementation process as perpetrators are in no way deterred despite massive national protest action last year.

The NSP is an answer to years of calls by activists for the government to make South Africa safe for all. President Ramaphosa, in receiving the policy acknowledged ‘South Africa is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman’.

It is great news that the implementation of the NSP adopts a multi-sectoral approach. We therefore hope this opens the discussion for tabling issues such as gun control in South Africa where statistically, legally owned firearms are the main risk factor for murder of intimate partners.

It is also time for the government to acknowledge and act on the causal nexus between alcohol and GBV through effective regulation of Liquor licensing and the sale of alcohol.

The NSP places an onus on the government to provide victim centred and survivor focused accessible services. For too long non-governmental organisations have borne the burden of providing support to victims of GBV through shelters and trauma centres with minimal support from the government. This has limited the availability of psychosocial support for victims and survivors of GBV. We hope that soon the assistance rendered as per the NSP shall include support to families such as those of Naledi and Tsegofatso who often tend to be forgotten.

Naledi was hacked to death by her boyfriend outside her family home at a family function. Tshegofatso was last known to have gone to visit her boyfriend. These cases thrust the spotlight on intimate partner violence and the importance of addressing GBV prevention. One of the core outcomes of the NSP is to develop effective prevention and healing interventions that target institutions and households with a view to stop the violence before it happens.

One can only hope that the NSP does not remain a brilliant document on paper but translates in its implementation such that cases like these shall no longer be a constant feature.
We trust that our public representatives will take this opportunity to show leadership on a matter that is a national crisis.

For media enquiries, please contact:
1. Given Sigauqwe, Communications & Strategic Informations Unit Manager, 0739882870 or [email protected].
2. Bafana Khumalo, Senior Strategic Advisor, 0825784479, [email protected].

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