Women speak out on GBV, taverns, at march
Women’s Month saw a decrease in cases of gender-based violence.
This is according to Enoch Mgijima Special Programmes Unit women’s caucus and former ANC Women’s League’s Bulelwa Mgijima, who said she had received confirmation from local police stations of a drop in GBV cases in August.
Mgijima said this during a recent march in which Enoch Mgijima women, church leaders and residents called for an end to GBV, substance abuse and non-compliant alcohol outlets in the community.
The group marched from the Indoor Sports Complex to the police station in Komani, where they handed over their memorandum of complaints to Vispol commander Colonel Riaan Kemp.
They were also joined by Nokholage Mgijima, whose husband allegedly attempted to hang her.
“We are saying she must take courage and be strong. As women of Enoch Mgijima, we are here to support her,” Bulelwa Mgijima said.
“The good part is that her husband is currently in prison. He will appear before the regional court on October 27.
“Culprits are clever. They allow GBV cases to go down in August, but after Women’s Month they start again.”
Mgijima, who led the march, said the month of August commemorated women such as Lilian Ngoyi and Albertina Sisulu, among others, who marched to the Union Buildings on August 9 1956, in protest against apartheid’s pass laws.
“We are following in their footsteps,“she said.
“We are dressed in black to demonstrate our anger. We want SAPS, the liquor board and those responsible for taverns to warn tavern owners not to allow school pupils inside alcohol outlets.
“We want them to stick to proper operating hours. The liquor to see if board’must they re in a test good the state items to drink.
“We have not heard of any GBV cases this month, which means the SAPS is doing their job.
“We have placed a message which we want the SAPS to forward to the National Prosecuting Authority and the justice department responsible for releasing rapists and murderers from prison to communities.
“We must feel safe in our communities.
“We are also praying for the country and for the police to do their jobs to protect us because some of the police are involved in drug sales, which we are strongly emphasising in our grievances.”