Minister let women down

MAITE Nkoana-Mashabane is a woman who wears several caps. She is a senior member of the government serving as our Minister of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco).

She is also highly respected within the ANC, serving in executive positions in the party and its Women’s League.

But, first and foremost, Nkoana-Mashabane is a mother of six and grandmother to a little girl, who carries her name.

It is difficult to understand how, as a mother, she would allow someone who abused a daughter of South Africa to escape criminal prosecution.

Would she have been as forgiving had it been her own child or granddaughter who experienced the assault Gabriella Engels claimed she endured at the hands of Grace Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s First Lady?

The irony is that the alleged incident happened during Women’s Month, a month dedicated to ending violence against women, an issue Nkoana-Mashabane has herself spoken about repeatedly.

According to a statement released by Dirco, Nkoana-Mashabane “agonised” over the decision. It seems one factor outweighed all others, and that was the need to maintain good inter-governmental relations between South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Put differently, Nkoana-Mashabane gave Grace Mugabe diplomatic immunity to keep the peace in the Southern African Development Community. However, the minister’s logic is deeply flawed. She must know that many women stay in abusive relationships because they want to keep the peace. So the message she has sent out in arriving at her decision is that it is more important to keep the peace than it is to take a stand against abuse. Was principle a consideration? Undoubtedly not.

Furthermore, her decision has just told every woman and girl in South Africa that abuse is not necessarily about gender… rather it is about power: we all know that the abuse of power plays a major part in woman and child abuse.

It was bad enough that Engels allegedly got beaten up. What’s worse is that, through Nkoana-Mashabane, South Africa has taken on the profile of an abused woman.

The minister has lot to answer for. And she can start by apologising to Engels for letting her down.