Cape Town - At a time when everyone is busy campaigning and canvassing for votes, the Makhaza community led by Khayelitsha development forum (KDF) and other stakeholders held a prayer for fallen victims of gender-based violence while ensuring the spotlight on the scourge does not dim.
A set of five candles were lighted as a sign of the community’s disapproval, condemnation, and intolerance of the cycle of gender-based violence and femicide.
Recently, three young females, including a teenager, were shot in the head execution-style at TT Block. Two bodies of women were found along Monwabisi Beach in separate incidents while another body was found in BM section in the area.
KDF chairperson Ndithini Thyido said a number of “bizarre” and “disturbing” deaths had occurred in a space of two weeks and there were many more.
“We are saying as the KDF the event is not really a reaction to GBV but we are promoting and provoking a thought process among Khayelitsha residents and leaders on creating environments that are going to be GBV free zones.
“Our homes must be GBV free zones, but that begins with me committing to making my home a safe and violence free household.
“We have asked the church leaders to light candles and ignite a sense of responsibility. It's not a matter of wanting a certain number of police officers to be deployed by the Minister of Police or law enforcement officers by the mayoral member for safety but a matter of an individual leaving here tonight and pledging in making their homes gender-based free areas to live in,” he said.
Thyido said the forum also wanted the incoming councillors to commit to the idea of gender-based free zones,
“The task of the forum is to unite the community of Khayelitsha around creating a community that is going to be very impatient with GBV. If there should be violence it has to be on an equal basis and can never be a matter of one gender dominates the other.
“We need to be guaranteed that a house, whether headed by a man or a woman, must be a place where there is no domination of a particular gender by another,” he said.
#No Excuse campaign co-ordinator Victor Phike said a holistic approach by all the stakeholders was needed in ending the scourge, while ensuring that both men and women were constantly educated about the scourge.
“We can not take for granted that people know things that they don’t. We need a campaign to educate men and women equally as this is a national crisis and affects everyone whether directly or indirectly,” he said.