Violence must be brought to an end, says Nzimande

If left unchecked, violence in our communities, in the economy and society at large will plunge our nation into a deeper crisis, said South African Communist Party (SACP) General Secretary Blade Nzimande.

Nzimande was speaking at the launch of the party’s Red October “Stop Gender Based Violence – Red Card against Women Abuse” campaign at the Johannesburg City Hall on Sunday.

“The problem includes contact crimes, killings, murder and attempted murder, common assault and assault with grievous bodily harm, common robbery and sexual violations. Subtle forms of violence include emotional and verbal violence,” Nzimande said.

“All members of society, regardless of sex and age are exposed to the problem of violence. Violence is, according to authoritative statistics and police dockets, very high in metropolitan areas,” he said.

Nzimande noted, according to a report presented to parliament in March by the police, covering the nine months from April to December 2016, that Gauteng could be described as the capital of South Africa’s contact crimes.

“Violence against women, children, and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans- and/or intersex (LGBTI) [community] must be brought to an end,” Nzimande said.

“The extent of domestic violence, abuse of women, sexual harassment, including rape and other sexual assaults, and femicide require a focused campaign,” he said.

He also referred to violence against albino people.