#OneTooManySA marches for justice

Civic organisations present memo to Parliament

IN AN effort to root out violence against women and children, civil society organisations marched to Parliament under the banner #OneTooManySA to hand over a memorandum and petitions signed by concerned citizens in Cape Flats areas.

Scores of protesters with banners and placards joined the marc, led by NPO Ilitha Labantu. President and founder of Ilitha Labantu, Mandisa Monakali said since January a number of women and girls have been abducted, raped and murdered and this is outrageous.

Accepting the petition outside Parliament was Police Minister Fikile Mbalula and Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Michael Masutha, who said they supported the campaign, as it shows unity and mobilises communities to reject violence against women and children.

Mbulula emphasised that no woman will be rejected when reporting a case and cases must be handled with the sensitivity that they deserve.

“It must be understood in South Africa that to rape and abuse a woman is a serious crime and we are empowered to ensure the law is enforced. This partnership with NGOs and social workers is important and we need more of these at grassroots level to make sure we win the war against violence against women in our communities.”

Spokesperson for Africa Unite, Wonke Mapeyi, said: “As a human rights organisations, we are saying women, children and elderly people have the right to dignity and life. We refuse to stay silent while violations are escalating.We feel as if the Western Cape judiciary is not taking us seriously. We are calling on harsh sentences and want all cases to be treated equally. For instance, look at the case of Iyapha, from Khayelitsha, where the charges against the accused were withdrawn, due to lack of evidence. Police keep on failing us in our communities.”

Marthe Muller from South African Women in Dialogue (SAWID) said they joined because they want a better future and this could be achieved if they acted together. She added: “Women of South Africa agreed to stand together for women’s participation on issues of national, regional, continental and international importance.

“The provincial response was not an encouraging one, and we hope that women meet with Provincial officials to ensure that they take up all the issues mentioned in the memorandum.”