Stop the bloodbath of women

Let me try and understand this. Perhaps someone out there can help me do so.

So, women are going missing and ultimately being found brutally murdered, human trafficking is trending and every man in a slow-moving GTi is considered a would-be suspect and the powers that be in South Africa are fighting to hold onto their positions.

The Minister of Police Fikile Mbalula never lets us forget his new position is about a tug-of-war with Berning Ntlemeza and women are being slaughtered weekly.

Goes to show the priorities of the South African government.

Then we get to the Minister for Women, Susan Shabangu. The most that was said by her that made headlines was that unforgettable blunder: “Karabo Mokoena was weak.”

I don’t know what I would have said under such circumstances, but I know I would never call the victim “weak.”

If that is how she chose to respond to a situation of such sensitivity, I wonder what happens when it’s business as usual.

You see, my bone of contention is that even when the blesser phenomena was at an all-time high, that very ministry was dead silent.

Instead, it was the men within the ANC who spoke at rallies, probably to garner support by joining the trending debate of the day.

Teenage pregnancy, child-run households, rape and femicide … that’s their mandate. It seems they are clearly failing. It would be folly to say we know what to do to help the situation but let’s be honest, they are not doing much. NGOs seem to be doing a better job.

I remember Powa, Gender Links and ChildLine doing much more than the portfolio with a huge budget.

Anyway, is the ministry of women not a duplicate of the department of social development? So much can be done, we just all have to want to do something. Women are losing their lives far too often.

If we can do something, surely we are obligated to stop the avoidable bloodbath and if government finds the time to stop their internal bickering, they can actually do the most.

Kekeletso Nakeli-Dhliwayo