Simphiwe Dana opens up after handing herself over to police

Musician Simphiwe Dana has opened about about spending time in the Norwood Police Station holding cells after she handed herself over following a domestic violence dispute.

Dana laid charges of assault and intimidation at the same police station against her former lover on 30 December after an alleged assault that had happened three days before.

This week on Monday she was informed by the police that her former lover had also opened a charge of assault and crimen injuria against her, and she would be arrested as a result.

Instead of waiting for police to arrest her, Dana said she handed herself in yesterday and was kept in the holding cells. She has since been released after the prosecutor dismissed the “flimsy” charges. She said she would continue pursuing the case against her former lover.

“My experience has been a disturbing revelation about how the criminal justice system can be manipulated to re-victimise and harass victims of intimate-partner abuse. There appears to be an increasing trend of abusers laying counter-assault charges against their victims as an intimidation tactic.

“The cell I was held in bears testament to this – it was full of domestic violence survivors whose partners had laid counter-charges. This, as the abusers well know, has the immediate effect of bullying victims into dropping the charges against their assailants

“The swiftness with which the police respond to the counter-charges by imprisoning the survivor serves to perpetuate inequality and revictimisation. I have to wonder why the justice system does not allow one process to conclude before addressing the counter-charges. In no way am I suggesting that counter-charges should not be fully investigated – but I do believe that a re-examination of how they are actioned is overdue.

“As things stand, pressing counter-charges is increasingly being used as a weapon to intimidate women into dropping charges. In a society where violence against women is such a scourge, surely this merits some kind of review? For my part, I will continue with my case and am committed to seeing it through to the end,” said the musician.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.