LIHAWU – While different organizations and government departments from all the
corners of the province were speaking in one voice in supporting the 16 Days of
Activism for No Violence against women and child abuse that officially started
on November 25 and ended on Tuesday, a 26-year-old woman is in a critical
condition, fighting for her life at Themba General hospital.
This is after
her boyfriend, Mr Herbert Ngomane(32) allegedly poured her with a petrol and set
her alight and after some few minutes, he poured himself with petrol and set
himself alight, too.
Both were rushed to the hospital and later Ngomane
died.
Mpumalanga News learnt that the couple allegedly had a fight and later
Ngomane came back with the petrol, which left many residents in the area shocked
and traumatized. Speaking to this reporter, the spokesperson of Pienaar SAPS,
Sgt Jabu Ndubane confirmed this shocking incident and alluded that it’s very
disturbing that while they are still busy with the campaign and such an incident
occurred.
”It’s very disturbing what the community experienced and it’s worse
that this incident happened at a time where the whole country is preaching no
violence against women and child abuse. A case of attempted murder has been
opened, even though the boyfriend didn’t make it and an inquest has been opened
at the station to find out the cause of his death,“ explained Ndubane.
The
provincial manager of the Commission of Gender Equality, Ms Moltha Mavuso
condemned the incident as she went on and said: “As a commission, we are very
disappointed to hear such a shocking incident in Mpumalanga.”
As the
commission also hosts male seminars where men get a platform to talk about
issues that they faced which sometimes push them to be abusive or do bad things.
Mavuso said in most cases they find in such gatherings that men are not open.
They always keep quite even though they are getting hurt inside, which is
something very dangerous.
“We encourage men to be open. They must talk when
they have problems. Sometimes they can try to form men’s social clubs so that
they can voice out their anger because such incidents are mostly caused by
people who are angry, when they act, they do something that will leave many
people in shock or with unanswered questions,”she explained.
Since the
campaign started, Mpumalanga News learnt that incidents of abuse, especially
rape, is high in some areas around Ehlanzeni district. Not so long ago, Premier
David Mabuza emphased to men to learn to protect women and children in
communities, but it seems like his call falls on deaf ears as this publication
discovered many incidents of rape that have happened and were most of the time,
targets were children raped by family members.
Some of the incidents A 7 and
13-year-old girl were raped by their brother and a learner was gang-raped in
school premises at Mthombo high school and two young girls were raped by their
father.
