Enough is enough, says ANC women
The scourge of gender-based violence (GBV) in the Mopani district has pushed the ANC's Women League to go on a peaceful protest on recently.
The group of disgruntled women protested from the Tzaneen to Joburg taxi ranks to submit their memorandum of demands at the Tzaneen magistrate court.
The women were carrying placards with messages relaying how fed up they are about rape and killings of women and children. The chairperson of the ANC Women’s League in the Mopani district Dikeledi Mmetle said the protest was their way of sending a message to law enforcement agencies that they have had enough.
“We will not rest until we see all these perpetrators sentenced, we are no longer going to sit back and watch GBV continue. We will continue to march until our message is heard,” she said.
She said women are faced with daily challenges of children being raped, women being killed by their partners and they feel enough is enough.
“We are constantly frustrated by the lack of urgency in dealing with GBV cases, today we have marched to the magistrate’s court to remind the law enforcement agencies and the justice department of their legal and constitutional mandate to protect the weak and the vulnerable,” she said.
Also read: Limpopo Premier saddened by ongoing killings of people and GBV
During the reading of the memorandum of demands Mmetle said: “We are here to remind you that women’s rights are human rights, be reminded that the persistent trampling of our rights through the violent crimes of rape and murder of women should be confronted using the full might of the law; our patience has been tested to the extreme.”
The protestors gathered outside while the leadership submitted their memorandum to the head of the court and the court manager.
Their demands were that all outstanding GBV cases be concluded as a matter of urgency and that they are given an update before the end of November.
They also demanded that all alleged rapists and murderers are denied bail and harsher sentences are imposed.
Also read: GBV cases on the rise in Limpopo
The protestors also demanded that all surviving victims of GBV to be compensated. In conclusion Mmetle said that next time they will come naked to show the seriousness of the matter.
They have urged various religious groups to work with them to curb GBV.
“We can see that this is not an issue we can win alone, we need to work with various stakeholders,” she said.
