Karabo’s death is tip of iceberg

THERE’S always something particularly unnerving about the news of another dead woman, especially when it is the result of an attack perpetrated by someone she knew, someone she might have loved.

This is the all-too-familiar face of domestic violence. Today, as we prepare to celebrate Mother’s Day tomorrow, the Mokoena family are mourning the death of their daughter, sister and niece, Karabo.

She disappeared two Fridays ago. Her siblings went looking for her the very next day. The police arrested her boyfriend shortly afterwards. In a confession, he apparently told police where he dumped the body. It appears to be an open and shut case and we should be rejoicing at the quick police work, committed involvement by family and friends on social media and other platforms in a confluence of events that means justice will be served.

Except we can’t because Karabo is dead and she shouldn’t be. The warning signs were there all along but they were ignored. Karabo had gone to the police before her death to open an assault case against her boyfriend. Had the system worked the way it ought to, she should have been counselled, encouraged to speak to her family, and urged to get a domestic violence protection order.

It could have prevented her boyfriend from getting close enough to harm her.

Tragically, Karabo’s killing is the tip of the iceberg. There are many other vulnerable women out there. We hope justice will be swift, and the guilty party will be made an example of.

In that way, Karabo’s death will not have been in vain and we can start to turn the page on this secret shame that defiles all of us as a nation.