SONA was disappointing for GBV activists

Nomzi Thiyane was strangled days after she left her husband, who has since been arrested for her murder. Picture: SUPPLIED

Nomzi Thiyane was strangled days after she left her husband, who has since been arrested for her murder. Picture: SUPPLIED

Published Feb 12, 2023

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As two Cape Town families mourn the deaths of their loved ones at the hands of their intimate partners, activists said the lack of details on how to tackle the gender-based violence during the State of the Nation Address was disappointing.

Civil organisation Action Society’s Ian Cameron said President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke about GBV as if it was an afterthought on Thursday night.

“I was very disappointed, I didn’t expect it to be a rocket science speech from the president but GBV was mentioned as an afterthought.

“I thought to myself, is that the lack of seriousness with which they regard GBV? I don’t think they take it seriously, I got the feeling that it was downplayed as a sideshow.”

Cameron added that they had not seen any improvement in the GBV statistics even though money was set aside to deal with the issue.

MEC for Social Development Sharna Fernandez said R62 866 000 had been allocated to fight GBV this financial year.

“We haven’t seen any improvements despite the money that was given.

“The sexual offence courts don’t function the way they should. The majority of the cases that we do oversight on are often postponed, start late or don’t occur at all because of technical problems.

“Child-related crimes have increased phenomenally over the last three years, we’re seeing at least three children murdered in South Africa, 1 216 children were killed, 53 125 sexual offences were reported. At least 120 rapes are reported per day,” said Cameron.

“Last year, Ramaphosa said the fight against GBV in South Africa would be intensified. Well, it didn’t happen.”

In his speech, he said crimes against women and children remained a disturbing feature.

“In November, we held the second Presidential Summit on gender-based violence and femicide to assess progress in the implementation of the National Strategic Plan, which adopted as a comprehensive, effective and united response to this pandemic.

“One of the great successes of our effort to fight gender-based violence is the extent to which social partners have rallied around the National Strategic Plan,” Ramaphosa said.

“In January, I signed into law three key pieces of legislation that afford greater protection to survivors of gender-based violence and ensure that perpetrators are no longer able to use legislative loopholes to evade prosecution.

“We continue to improve the accessibility and functioning of Sexual Offences Courts and expand the network of Thuthuzela Care Centres.”

He delivered his speech two days after mom-of-four Nomzi Thiyane, 46, was strangled to death, allegedly by her husband, Mkhuseli Thiyane, who was arrested for the murder.

She left her marital home in Crossroads last Sunday and told her family in Blikkiesdorp, Delft, she was tired of being abused by the suspect.

The victim’s sister, Ncumisa Phango, 42, said she last saw her sister on Tuesday when she went to drop off her son at creche.

“I heard from my neighbour Nomzi was walking with her husband and I immediately went to look for her along Symphony Way, but I didn’t see them.

“We started searching for her, when we didn’t find her, we went to Mkhuseli’s house and took him to Delft police station.

“The police assisted in searching for her, they brought sniffer dogs that tracked her lifeless body in the bushes near the airport on the other side of Blikkiesdorp.”

Thiyane appeared in the Bellville Magistrates’ Court on Thursday where the case was postponed to next week for bail information.

In Crossroads, Nosiphiwo Vena, 30, was stabbed to death by her boyfriend and father of their three-year-old daughter a week before Nomzi’s tragic death.

The couple argument on Monday night around 11pm while they were with their friends.

The victim reportedly threw him out of the place they shared.

Nosiphiwo’s distraught sister, Nosana Vena-Mahleza, said she was informed that he refused to leave.

“She went into the bedroom and started packing his clothes for him.

“He didn’t want to go to his parent’s house and I was told he went to the kitchen, grabbed a knife and stabbed her three times in the neck.

“The suspect then fled the scene with the knife as it was not found at the scene but was arrested on Thursday,” she said.

Vena-Mahleza told the Weekend Argus that the couple’s child and friends were in the house when the incident occurred.

“Their baby was sleeping in the other room when all of this happened. She woke up without a mother.

“He was angry because Nosiphiwo confronted her for not attending his sister’s traditional ceremony.”

Police spokesman Sergeant Wesley Twigg said Nyanga SAPS are investigating a murder case.

“According to reports, the victim and the suspect had an argument before she was stabbed. The victim sustained a stab wound to her neck and was declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel,” he said.

Weekend Argus