It has been a grim start to Women’s Month in KwaZulu-Natal with gender-based violence (GBV) sharply in focus after the horrific murders of women and girls in the past few days.
Two matric pupils were killed and dismembered by a man who attacked them with an axe in Ngwangwane village, in the Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma Municipality near Creighton in southern KZN at the weekend.
The families and friends of murdered Grade 12 pupils Nqobile Amanda Zulu and Minenhle Amahle Buthelezi were trying to come to terms with their deaths. The man who allegedly attacked them in their rented house was arrested and is due in court next week.
In Durban, a Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) student was murdered on Sunday, allegedly by a fellow student.
The murders have prompted organisations against GBV to call for more focus to be placed on educating men and boys about respecting women, and for better responses to such crimes by the justice system and law-enforcement authorities.
MUT student Xolile Mbatha, 23, an electrical engineering student, was killed at the Ark Royal Residence, allegedly by a male student who fled the scene.
Professor Marcus Ramogale, MUT acting vice-chancellor and principal, said the university would be boosting its campaign against GBV.
“I am at a loss for words to describe this dreadful act performed by a fellow male student at the Ark Royal Residence, one of MUT’s externally leased residences,” Ramogale said.
He added that MUT had made counselling services available through the Student Counselling Unit.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nqobile Gwala said Mbatha had been stabbed to death and the murder was being investigated by Point SAPS.
Kavya Swaminathan, of the Tears Foundation, said that there were several factors contributing to the rising levels of GBV: the country was a patriarchal society, there was a lack of education, a high unemployment rate, and other economic and social challenges.
“Social awareness and education, especially educating our youth, is vital when it comes to combating this type of abuse. (The foundation) takes this educational stance very seriously. We will soon be launching an expansion to our already existing emergency service. The purpose of the expansion will be to provide direct education to the youth on such topics as pregnancy, reproduction, safe sex practices and more.”
Swaminathan added that perpetrators of GBV must face more serious consequences and said that the police and justice authorities had set a bad precedent – victims are often turned away, protections orders are not issued or enforced and victims can also wait years for DNA confirmation, prolonging their cases.
Thandiwe McCloy, communications manager at People Opposing Women Abuse (Powa), agreed that patriarchy and gender inequality were at the root of GBV.
She said there needed to be more investment in programmes targeted at men. “These programmes could go far in assisting men to deal with their behavioural issues and negative attitudes towards women.”
McCloy added that the justice system was highly inefficient and there was often a lack of proper investigations and delays in catching perpetrators of GBV.
“We need to confront social and cultural attitudes and beliefs – such as those stating that men have the right to more power than women. Relationships within the home affect every relationship outside the home, so it’s important to raise children in non-violent households where abuse is not tolerated. In this way, they are less likely to normalise abuse and stay in abusive relationships or become abusers when they are older.”
Javu Baloyi, spokesperson for the Commission for Gender Equality, said the public needed to report abuse.
“We also call upon schools to educate boys from a young age to respect girls and women. This education should be done as part of the life orientation syllabus as this is the only way society will change and women will be protected.”