Pretoria - The anti-gender-based violence (GBV) march organised by the EFF in Pretoria North on Saturday has nothing to do with campaigning for the upcoming local government elections.
This was according to one of the organisers, Tshiamo Molotja, who said the idea behind the march was to raise awareness about the scourge of GBV and foster a relationship with the community “so that they can trust us enough to be able to report their cases”.
Molotja said that before the march the EFF has been active in helping out in the community through their selfless contribution to issues of Ward 2.
“We have been fighting for the rights of women. We are not doing this because of the elections,” she said.
Participants in the march congregated at the local town hall in the morning, then embarked on an anti-GBV campaign in the streets, escorted by the SAPS officers and metro police.
They held up placards bearing messages such as “killing me is not a solution” and “there is no honour in killing”.
One of the key speakers, Gugulethu Magudulela, said: “We thought the awareness that we are doing today (Saturday) is going to assist people regarding where to seek help when they are victimised or abused at home.”
According to her, there were many women subjected to GBV, but reluctant to acknowledge that they were victims of the scourge.
“The key message is to be aware of who you are, irrespective of the person who is abusing you. Report it immediately,” Magudulela said.
Dr Esther Sibande, who took part in the march, said: “It is crucial to do this event since we have noticed that South Africa is leading in terms of Gender-Based Violence, each and every hour a woman is being killed, raped or harassed.”
Sibande said the event was part of commemorating the role of women in society during Women’s Month.
“I emphasise that as women we need to be loved and we need to be respected”.
Their call to act against gender violence was made on the back of the latest crime statistics, which revealed that GBV incidents were on the increase, with more than 10 000 people raped between April and June this year.
Pretoria News