‘The system is failing victims’: MK party’s women’s league demands justice for Cwecwe

Members of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party marched to the head office of the Department of Justice with placards to hand over a memorandum and demand justice for Cwecwe and other victims of gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual offences.

Legodi Matilda, a member of the MK party’s youth league, said the justice system owes Cwecwe justice.

“Every child has a right to be protected from maltreatment, neglect and abuse. As a nation, we are bound by law to uphold and perpetrators of such crimes must face the full force of the law.”

Cwecwe: ‘We need action, not words’

Matilda said everyone in SA was equal before the law.

“Where is President Cyril Ramaphosa? Is this critical and has he spoken out against this? Has he reached out to Cwecwe and her family and offered them support?” she asked.

Matilda said the president’s silence was deafening.

“We need action, not words. We need a president who will prioritise the safety and well-being of our children,” she said.

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Justice system failing women and children

MK party women’s league spokesperson Promise Nkosiphe said there were gaps in the justice system in tackling GBV.

“The system seems to be failing victims of sexual offences. No arrests have yet been made in Cwecwe’s rape case,” she said.

Nkosiphe said South Africa was blessed with laws such as the Sexual Offences Act and the Children’s Act that give proper guidelines on how to protect children and handle sexual offence cases.

“The minister and the department are seriously failing us,” she said.

Nkosiphe said the release of the latest crime stats shows 128 women will be raped and 76 will be murdered a day.

“Clearly, the justice system is failing us as women and it is continuing to fail women and children of South Africa.”

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The Department of Justice and Constitutional Deputy Director-General for Constitutional Development Advocate Shireen Said received a memorandum from members of the MK party’s women’s league during the peaceful protest.

She said she understood the pain and trauma caused by GBV. She reiterated that beyond her role as a senior official, she also stood as a mother, sister and aunt who understands the devastating impact of violence on families and communities.

“The department welcomes civic activism that is lawful and peaceful. Community mobilisation plays an essential role in sustaining public awareness, shaping policy reform and strengthening institutional accountability. It is only through a whole-of-society approach, with active participation from men, families, faith leaders, traditional authorities, and the private sector, that meaningful and lasting change can be realised.”

She said the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development remains committed to the implementation of the Gender-Based Violence and Femicide National Strategic Plan (GBVF NSP), which provides a framework for the national response to the GBV crisis.

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