Whittlesea residents fed up with GBV
Protest outside at man ’ s court appearance
More than 100 community members joined a march against gender- based violence (GBV) at the Whittlesea magistrate ’ s court following the brutal murder of two young women in Dongwe recently.
A 25-year-old man appeared in the court charged with fatally stabbing Nomandla Kuse and Sinesipho Panya, as reported in The Rep: “Residents find murdered women ’ s bodies ”, July 10.
The peaceful march was organised by the youth-led Movement for a Better Hewu and Isolomzi neighbourhood watch, which both aim to end the scourge in Whittlesea.
The placard messages ranged from “Am I Next?”, “We speak we die, we are silent we die ” and “We are dying ”.
The protesters expressed anger against the accused, who was appearing in court for the second time.
Although he applied for bail, prosecutor Gabriel Rini said he had later withdrawn his application. Rini said the case was postponed for further investigation and the accused would return to court on August 29.
Khanyisa Mabece from Movement for a Better Hewu said: “We young people stand up for our voices to be heard. There is a lot of violence and nothing is done. Development is scarce. This is why we resolved to take the initiative to be the change we want to see. We want young people to know that they have a voice which they can use to bring change.”
Nkosazana Pono said: “The history of our country has reached a point where we do not see the value of lives. Gender-based violence begins at home. We need to face the demons in our own homes.”
Isolomzi chair Mzukisi Qumisa, based in Sada, said: “We have a problem with the court when it comes to rapists and murderers. A 16-year-old can kill, be released after two days and be back in the midst of the community. This is why we took a stand to look after the community.
“We formed this structure because the police, who are meant to protect the community, were failing.
“So far they have not shown any interest. We have seen a rise in drug use in our community.”