Sweat launches petition against sex worker killer’s painting

The University of Pretoria has come under fire for displaying a painting by a man jailed for kicking a sex worker to death, with outrage brimming in one of the world’s most dangerous countries for women.

He was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2017 for savagely killing 23-year-old Nokuphila Kumalo four years earlier.

His 1996 oeuvre, “The Wedding Party”, shows a new husband being congratulated while his uninterested, passive bride sips a drink.

Zwelethu Mthethwa kills a sex worker, then the art world & @JavettUP celebrate & promote his artwork while he serves 18yrs in jail #StopCelebratingZwelethuMthethwa sign petition to remove his work from the gallery: https://t.co/Yn9GPME3l9 #SayHerName #NokuphilaKhumalo

— Sweat (@SweatTweets) October 1, 2019

The Sex Worker Education and Advocacy Taskforce (Sweat) said the painting should be removed “out of respect” to Kumalo’s family and taking into account the “violence meted out by men to vulnerable and marginalised populations … in South Africa.”

South Africa is plagued by violence against women, with at least 137 sexual offences committed every day, according to official figures.

In August alone, more than 30 women were killed by their spouses.

The university’s art centre has defended the curators of the “All in Day’s Eye: The Politics of Innocence” exhibition, saying Mthethwa’s painting was included “with the sole purpose of presenting it as ‘evidence’ that highlights how misogyny has played out in his work over time.”

Social media networks were filled with outrage.

“We don’t need to debate whether violent murderers’ work should be exhibited – when conditions continue to support violence against women, transgender people,” one tweet read.

Sweat launched an online petition against the display of the painting.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.