Independent activist and feminist Rosie Motene said very little has been done in South Africa to fight the scourge of Gender Based Violence (GBV), saying it does not suit the patriarchy.
Motene’s comments come after hundreds of women have fallen victim and some have died in the hands of men, including Hillary Garder, 28, who was brutally murdered last week and many others.
“Companies, broadcasters and those who have powers are happy to push regurgitated PR campaigns on GBV but when actual action is needed a blind eye is turned. We see how convicted sexual offenders are celebrated and sanitised on our television screens. Activists and those that speak out are punished for speaking their truths. These killings have been happening for centuries. The sex trade industry is alive and well and run by powerful entities who sit on boards and in important spaces,” said Motene.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) said crime is out of control in South Africa and called for efforts to fight crime to be heightened.
The mother of EFF national spokesperson Sinawo Thambo’s six year old daughter is in pain after sustaining injuries while escaping an Uber kidnap attempt this week.
Thambo said while doing an interview with the national broadcaster about Gardee who was abducted, raped, shot and murdered last week, he learned that the mother of his daughter had jumped out from a moving to escape a kidnap attempt.
Thambo said she was on her way to Bosman station with two other friends, when they reached the destination the two stepped out; as she was stepping out the driver started driving away with her in oncoming traffic..
“She alerted the driver that she was still inside the car but the driver continued driving off. She panicked and jumped out from the moving car as she suspected that this was a kidnap attempt,” Thambo said.
“When she went to Bosman Police Station, she was told that there was no stationery. She proceeded to Pretoria Central Police Station where they also gave her a run around. At that time she needed medical assistance and police did not assist her, so she went to seek medical help,” he said.
On May 10, Twitter user LitanyForSurvival tweeted: “Last night around 18:45 three friends and I requested an Uber from a friend’s place to the bus station for my bus back to Nelspruit.
When we got to the station my friends got off and as I was getting ready to get off, the driver sped off.
At first I thought he didn't see that I was still in the car but the look he shot back as he was speeding away made it very clear that this man intended to drive away with me. I decided to jump out.
“We went to Bosman to open a case but they didn’t help us because they didn't have stationery/material. We then went to Pretoria Central Police station and they didn’t help us either. They gave us a J88 form to take to the hospital with no stamp,” she said.
Thambo said the mother of her child will open a case since she has the registration and details of the Uber.
“We will follow this up with the police to ensure that this individual stops before victimising anyone else,” Thambo said.
Thambo said he does not want to make any speculations and connect this attempt to an attack on EFF.
“I think this was a random crime. It shows all of us that politicians or those related to them are not immune to criminal activities. There is no evidence that this is a coordinated attack on EFF; it shows us that crime is out of control in South Africa,” he said.
Thambo said it is reckless for some police stations who fail to assist victims due to lack of stationery.
Thambo said the EFF will pay a visit to the police station that told the victim that it did not have stationery to make sure that it is capacitated to handle crime.