Statistics don’t show how many women are killed
The worst kind of murder
IT’S the “worst kind of murder” but police statistics still don’t reveal how many women in South Africa are dying at the hands of their partners.
But now the Department of Justice has revealed it is amending police charge sheets by “reflecting the critical details of victims” to more accurately record intimate femicide cases.
Intimate femicide is described as the killing of a woman by an intimate partner. “There is no government department that collects statistics specifically on intimate femicide cases, because they fall under any of the categories relating to assault, murder or general contact crimes,” explains John Jeffery, the Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development.
South Africa, he says, wants to improve this data collection.
“This means we’re getting closer to having a ‘Femicide Watch’, which will be a data bank capturing the details of all victims of femicide.
“Currently, all cases of homicide are captured collectively without the identification of the relationship between the accused and the deceased.
“This is mainly because at present the charge sheet does not make any provision for the capturing of the details of victims.”
Jeffery says the department’s chief directorate in the promotion on the rights of vulnerable groups is working with the NPA to amend the charge sheet “by adding an annexure that will reflect the critical details of victims”.
“The SA Police Service and the Department of Correctional Services are represented in the charge sheet amendment task team, and have been requested to amend their data capturing tools and systems accordingly.”
He reveals there were around 189 000 new applications for protection orders last year. Gauteng registered the highest number of cases, followed by KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape.
But the department is seeing rising cancellations of protection orders, which are valid for life, by victims. This is one of the earliest signs of gender-based violence, as the partner or family threaten the victim if they do not withdraw the order.
Too many women fear speaking about their abuse.
“There is often a low reporting rate due to the stigma attached to domestic violence. This makes it difficult to deter mine the exact magnitude of domestic violence in the country.”
Yesterday the department launched a national programme for a dialogue on intimate femicide, which could change the way cases dealing with violence against women were reported and filed.
Women will be encouraged to speak out about abuse they suffer at the hands of their partners.
The department hopes the dialogues will lead to effective changes in policies.
“The intimate femicide dialogues are also conducted to respond to the report compiled by the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, its causes and consequences, after their visit to South Africa in December 2015,” says Jeffery.
“One of the recommendations is the establishment of a Femicide Watch, which would release a report every year, detailing the number of gender-related killings per year, desegregated by age and sex of the perpetrators, as well as the relationship between perpetrator and victim.”
Cookie Edwards, of the KZN Network on Violence Against Women, says the discussion on intimate femicide is long overdue. “I’ve been working in this field for 30 years and ask myself why violence against women is still happening when we’re supposed to have advanced as a community.”
Intimate femicide, she says, is the worst kind of murder.
“This crime is done by someone you love, someone you trust and expect to care for you, not harm you.
“The person manipulates you and slowly starts the abuse and the woman thinks it’s a sign of love.”
Nondumiso Nsibande, of the Tshwaranang Legal Advocacy Centre, says changes to policies will give hope to women in abusive relationships.
Pretoria model Zanele Khumalo, 18, who was five months’ pregnant, was murdered by her boyfriend and the father of her unborn child, Thato Kutumela. He is serving a 20-year jail term.
Paralympian Oscar Pistorius was arrested and charged with the murder of his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine’s Day in 2013.
Businessman Christopher Panayiotou allegedly masterminded his wife’s killing and contracted Luthando Siyoli for the murder. He, in turn, allegedly hired alleged hitman, Sizwe Prince Vumazonke.
The body of Fatima Choonara, 28, was found in her Polokwane home after what was believed to be a robbery. Her husband was later arrested for her murder.
Last year, real estate executive Jason Rohde allegedly murdered his wife, Susan, at a luxury Stellenbosch hotel. He was released on bail of more than R1 million in September.