Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Activists seek justice for Robyn
THE scourge of gender-based violence is just one factor that has South Africa ranked amongst the least peaceful countries in the world.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said 21 women and children were murdered in the past two weeks alone. The recently released Global Peace Index (GPI), ranked SA at 123 out of 163 countries for state of peace within the country, thanks to the high violent crime and homicide rate.
The most peaceful country is Iceland, followed by New Zealand, Portugal, Austria and Denmark. The countries with the lowest-ranked GPI include Yemen, South Sudan, Iraq, Syria and lastly Afghanistan. As activists around the world turn their attention to police brutality and gender-based violence, South Africans mourned the senseless murders of more women and children during the lockdown.
Yesterday, activists and sex workers gathered outside the Mowbray Police Station to demand answers and justice for their friend, Robyn Montsumi, who was found dead in a police cell there on Easter Sunday. Police said she had hanged herself with a blanket, but activists believe she died due to police brutality.
Duduzile Dlamini, advocacy manager at the Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce (Sweat), said sex workers continue to be targets of violence, with one statistic suggesting they are 18 times more likely to be killed.
“We’ve got lots of sex workers that we’ve lost during this month. Those cases are still there. The perpetrators are still out there. There is no case going to court.”
Dlamini said Montsumi would have demanded fair treatment while in police custody. “I don’t sleep at night thinking about what happened to Robyn in the cells,” she said.
“As an activist, she would fight for her rights inside, there no matter what. I wonder what happened to Robyn when she asked for her human rights. I promise, Robyn, we will always fight for justice for sex workers.”
Shadé Johnson had known Montsumi for years. They would stay over at each others’ houses, hang out and smoke together. Johnson said she believed that after days in a police cell withdrawing from drugs, Montsumi would not have had the strength to hang herself.
“I’m a heroin addict like she was. I’ve been in the cells,” she said.
“You throw up, you can’t walk, it’s painful. For her to do that, no. You’re too weak. She would rather lay and scream and moan, and they got annoyed about that.”
Fellow sex worker Lorna Hendricks said Montsumi was an upbeat person who liked to help and encourage people.
“We need justice because we don’t know what she really died of,” Hendricks said. “She didn’t deserve to die like this. There must be justice, because me as a sex worker, I can also die like that.”
She said fear of the police followed her throughout her work.
“They know our families don’t care about us. We’re on the streets, we’re homeless. That’s why they think they can get away with anything, and it’s very wrong. As a sex worker, it’s hurtful,” said Hendricks.
Montsumi’s case has been referred to the Human Rights Commission and the Commission for Gender Equality. The preliminary report by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate said nobody had been found responsible.
“No one has been arrested as a result of this incident as no one has been found responsible,” said spokesperson Ndileka Cola.
“There is no discrepancy/foul play that has been found during the preliminary investigation, also the pathology report didn’t show any malpractice from the police services.”
Meanwhile, the lockdown appears to have caused a large reduction in serious violent crime when compared to March to April last year, according to founder of the Institute for Economics and Peace, Steve Killelea. “There has been an increase in domestic violence during the lockdown. South Africa will still face significant issues with regards to violent crime after lockdown ends,” said Killelea.
“Serious violent crime seems to be down compared to the same period last year. Reports of domestic violence have increased.”