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Zawya
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
Talks in Gogrial West reveal need for awareness-raising on right to protection
Many residents of Gogrial West County are unaware of their fundamental right to be protected, often silently enduring violence, theft, or domestic abuse. Despite being a relatively peaceful part of Warrap State, people living here are sometimes subject to conflicts and their consequences, crime, risks related to climate change and, last but not least, the frequent incidents of domestic violence mostly suffered by women and girls. "They, like everyone else, have the right to live safely and with dignity," stated Bakhita Burke, Gender-Based Violence Coordinator at Women for Change, a women-led non-governmental organization, adding that a lack of tangible conflict is no guarantee of peace on the home front. 'Behind closed doors, many women continue to suffer,' she said, remarking that recent months have seen a concerning increase of suicides related to physical abuse. Ms. Burke and some other 50 invited guests, including political and community leaders, survivors of violence and other stakeholders, discussed a variety of topics, all related to advocacy for human rights, at a workshop in Kuajok facilitated by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Another such issue is cattle raiding and the profound distress this harmful and unlawful practice causes. Alongside gender-based violence, cattle theft emerged as another significant issue during discussions. Daniel Mangar, Executive Director for Gogrial West County, elaborated on the profound economic and emotional distress caused by these incidents. "These thefts may seem minor to outsiders, but they create fear, tensions and financial losses for anyone affected,' commented Mariang Martin Agoth, Executive Director of the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, highlighting the importance of partnerships. "Humanitarians step in precisely where government resources fall short, trying to make sure that displaced families and other vulnerable community members are not forgotten." Lucy Okello, a Protection, Transition&Reintegration Officer serving with UNMISS, reflected on the bigger picture and the people of South Sudan the peacekeeping mission is here to serve. 'Each statistic we discuss represents real families, facing real and severe hardship. Our talk today must be translated into actions tomorrow.' Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
IOL News
16-06-2025
- IOL News
Youth Day: Advocacy groups demand stronger government action to combat GBV in South Africa
NGOs share their insights on the mental impact that GBV has on the country's younger population Image: Pixabay IN SPITE of all the campaigning, advocacy and awareness programmes the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide continues to hover ominously over South Africa as the country celebrates Youth Month. At a time when young people should be celebrated and given every encouragement to pursue excellence, instead, the overshadowing reality of reported ever increasing incidents of murder, rape, and kidnapping escalate douses optimism. While the government continue to ring the alarm bells about the the dire state of GBV in the country, damning is the prevailing view from advocacy groups that the government's actions in response thus far have proven insufficient. The statistics are stark: between January and March 2025, 966 women and 314 children fell victim to murder. "These are not mere statistics; they represent lives lost amid a system that too often fails to protect the most vulnerable," warns Siyabulela Monakali, communications manager for Ilitha Labantu, a non-profit organisation founded in 1989. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Monakali elaborates that the pervasive underfunding of support programmes, lack of enforcement of existing laws, and an overloaded legal system contribute to a culture of failure that retraumatises survivors. He criticises the government's approach to combatting GBVF as reactive, often characterised by bursts of activity that fizzle out without meaningful change. "Many of the government's interventions are mere band-aids," he continues, asserting that they sidestep deeper issues such as misogyny and toxic masculinity. "Until there is meaningful, coordinated, and well-resourced action that tackles these root causes, the crisis will continue unabated." The youth of 2025 are facing several challenges, including GBV Image: File The advocacy group Women For Change underscores this sentiment, asserting that the government has significantly underprioritised the fight against GBVF. They have initiated a petition to have GBVF declared a national disaster. "The government's bureaucracy and their lack of accountability, transparency, and responsiveness are key reasons why more women will be killed in this country," the group states. South Africa's Constitution, rich with protections against GBVF, establishes a framework that includes the right to equality, human dignity, and personal security. Yet, despite these legal advancements, the persistently low conviction rates reveal a justice system struggling to uphold these rights. "To protect the dignity and freedom of women and children, government departments can no longer fail to prioritise GBVF policies and programmes," cautions Women For Change. Activist Mukhethwa Dzhugudzha echoes these findings, urging a shift in focus from punitive measures to preventative strategies. "We need to move beyond reacting to violence and start implementing measures that protect women and children before they fall victim," he states, clearly identifying the need to address underlying issues like economic dependency and victim-blaming mindsets. The alarming rise in violent incidents against women serves as a stark reflection of South Africa's social challenges. "This is an indictment on all of us that our society is exposed to GBVF, sexual violence, murder, and assault in such alarming numbers," notes Bafana Khumalo of Sonke Gender Justice. He calls for intensified efforts to implement the National Strategic Plan on GBVF, a global call to action that South Africa must heed to forge a path away from this crisis. Advocacy groups across the country roundly maintain their zero tolerance stance on violence against women and girls. They call on leaders to acknowledge the enormity of the challenge before them and to commit to substantive actions that can bring meaningful change. DAILY NEWS
The Guardian
13-06-2025
- The Guardian
South African woman's murder prompts anger at country's high level of femicide
A wave of anger and frustration has gripped South Africa after the murder of 30-year-old Olorato Mongale, allegedly by a man she went on a date with. It is the latest in a series of high-profile cases of violence against women and children in the country. Friends of Mongale, a former journalist who had been studying for a master's degree in ICT policy, raised the alarm when she stopped checking in with them while on a date in Johannesburg on 25 May. Her body was found that day. The main suspect, Philangenkosi Makhanya, was killed in a shootout with police five days later, while another suspect, Bongani Mthimkhulu, remains on the run. South African police said more than 20 women had come forward to claim the two men had kidnapped and robbed them after masquerading as suitors at malls across South Africa, in what police called a 'romance dating scam'. South Africa has one of the highest rates of femicide in the world, according to available data. In the year to 31 March 2024, more than 27,600 people were murdered, 5,578 of them women and 1,656 children, according to South African police data. Globally, in 2023, approximately 1.3 women per 100,000 were killed by an intimate partner or relative, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) found that during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic the rate was 5.5. Cameron Kasambala, the community manager at the advocacy group Women For Change, said: 'Women die no matter what they do. They've been stabbed while they sleep, shot in broad daylight and had their houses burned down by former partners.' She pointed to the violent repression of South Africa's black majority by the white minority during apartheid, which ended more than three decades ago. 'Men compensate by becoming hypermasculine, by being violent and aggressive … It's rooted in our violent history and exacerbated by poverty and substance abuse,' said Kasambala. Other high-profile cases have included Racquel 'Kelly' Smith selling her six-year-old daughter Joshlin, and that of Uyinene Mrwetyana, a student whose rape and murder in 2019 sparked huge protests. However, activists emphasise that thousands more go unnoticed every year. In April, Women For Change handed over a petition with 150,000 signatures demanding that the government declare 'gender-based violence and femicide' (GBVF) to be a national disaster. Kasambala said: 'This stance will then filter down to the police, the courts and hospitals.' Sindisiwe Chikunga, the minister for women, youth and persons with disabilities, replied in a letter: 'The government remains fully committed to a whole-of-society, multi-sectoral response to the GBVF crisis.' She did not mention the national disaster demand. Naeemah Abrahams, who leads the SAMRC's femicide research, said: 'When we try and solve it, it's not going to be just the law. We've got great laws.' Social norms around men being financial providers fuel violence, Abrahams said, with many believing, 'if women step out of these societal expectations, she should be corrected for it'. Mongale's loved ones were incredibly proud of her achievements, said Criselda Kananda, the best friend of Mongale's mother, Keabetswe. These included teaching English in South Korea and buying a flat in her home city of Bloemfontein. Kananda said: 'Olorato was such a bubbly ball of energy, who just lit up any space that she entered, who never took no for an answer.' On Monday, Mongale's mother went to her only child's apartment for the first time since her death and found baking ingredients ready to make a cake. Kananda said: 'We really are struggling … It's things like these that are now painting a reality that she is no more.'
Mail & Guardian
05-06-2025
- Health
- Mail & Guardian
Government's gender-based violence plan lacks funds
File photo Inadequate government funding for the The '[The plan] is a comprehensive strategy to deal with gender-based violence and my feeling is we should be putting our energy, our advocacy, our legal work and our responses into getting it to work,' said Bronwyn Pithy, an advocate at the Women's Centre for Legal Studies. 'We should be pressurising governments to get the NSP [national strategic plan] to work and be funded and properly done.' In his But Pithy said the government's response to the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide was not enough. Rights group Women for Change has put forward a number of demands to the department of women, youth and persons with disabilities to address gender-based violence, including that it be declared a national disaster, funding the national strategic plan and urgently implementing the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Bill, which was signed into law in May last year. In a written response to the organisation, the department said it had submitted funding proposals to the treasury for the implementation of the national strategic plan and had also put in funding proposals for the establishment of the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide. 'The [department] is engaged in all these matters. The department of social development has highlighted the need for immediate allocation of funding and resources for GBVF-prevention initiatives. This action is pending,' it said. 'Additional funding is required The department of women, youth and persons with disabilities did not respond to questions from the Mail & Guardian. In a statement, Women for Change said while the department acknowledged the funding crisis, it offered no solution beyond stating that it is 'subject to the availability of funds'. 'This is not good enough! Survivors cannot wait for the next budget cycle. Shelters are closing. Victims are being turned away. Legal and psychological services are under-resourced, like many other organisations at the forefront,' it said. 'This is not a planning issue. This is a moral emergency, where you ignore the 15 murdered women every day.' The organisation also called for judicial and legislative reform, which includes opposing bail in cases of child sexual abuse, rape, domestic violence, attempted murder and murder, where sufficient evidence exists and if they are a danger to survivors and the community. While the Criminal and Related Matters Amendment Act makes provision for opposing bail, Women for Change said its application is 'inconsistent and dangerously flawed'. It added that the criminal justice system does not adequately address survivors' lived experience and they are often 're-traumatised by the justice system, with rapists, abusers and murderers walking free on bail or reoffending while out on parole'. Pithy conceded that the sexual offences legislation is not being implemented consistently, adding that the government needed to pay attention to detecting and prosecuting cases. 'Our biggest problem in this country is, apart from the fact that we have a very low reporting rate … is the attrition rates and that the number of cases that are reported in comparison to those that eventually land up in conviction is so minuscule,' she said. 'The conviction rate in sexual offences at the moment, realistically, is between 5% and 7% of the cases that actually get reported.' She added that the system needed to show perpetrators that they will be caught, they will be prosecuted and be found guilty — and there will be consequences. 'It is probably one of the most effective ways of addressing GBVF.' 'Facing these levels of violence, at the moment, people operate with impunity. They know they won't get caught and they know they won't proceed to prosecution.'
IOL News
29-05-2025
- IOL News
Olorato Mongale's murder: A reflection on the dangers facing South African women
Olorato Mongale was recently found dead after going on a date. Image: X Olorato Mongale, a 30-year-old journalism graduate and WITS student, was recently found dead after going on a date. Police have announced that they have arrested one suspect and are searching for two more. On that tragic day, Mongale was picked up by her alleged date, sparking discussions about the precautions that South African women are expected to take to navigate the country's femicide crisis. Women For Change founder Sabrina Walter told IOL that she is exhausted by the same cycle of grief, outrage, and hollow discussions that follow every femicide. "The conversation shifts to what she could have done differently, as if women are responsible for their own murders," she said. "I am tired of being asked what 'precautions' women should take when the real question should be: Why are men still getting away with murder?" Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Walter asserted that Mongale did not die due to a lack of precautions, but because men who were reportedly out on bail gained access to her and ultimately murdered her. National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said two of the suspects are currently on the run, Bongani Mthimkhulu and Philangenkosi Makhanya were previously arrested and charged for kidnapping and robbery. Mathe said the syndicate preys on young women at malls. "We are investigating a syndicate. These men use the same modus operandi where they approach these young women at malls and ask to take them out on dates. When these women agree, that is when they plan to rob them," she said. Walter questioned why these men were free after the charges levelled against them. "Why does our justice system continue to fail women? Why is there no accountability for a system that allows violent men to roam free despite previous charges of kidnapping and robbery? "We are not dying because we aren't being careful enough. We are dying because our government is not doing enough. Where is President Ramaphosa while women are being murdered in their homes, on university campuses, in post offices, while going out on a date? Where is his leadership when we really need him?" Expressing the same sentiments, Mukhethwa Dzhugudzha said that the discourse about precautions should be shutdown. According to Dzhugudzha, Mongale was not reckless as she told her friends where she was going and even shared her location. On victim blaming and telling women to pick better, he said: "Abusers don't come with a label on their foreheads. They act like regular people... When you are telling women to be more careful, you are admitting that violence is normal and you're telling them to expect it from all men." He questioned why it is a woman's responsibility to avoid danger instead of violent men ceasing to perform cruel acts on a vulnerable population. "The truth is that women can do everything right, take every precaution and still end up like Olarato because it isn't women's judgment, it's men's entitlement" Presenting the fourth quarter crime figures for the 2024/25 financial year, police minister Senzo Mchunu said statistics revealed a decrease in murder rates but a rise in gender-based violence (GBV). Cape Argus
