Death threat by North West education dept ‘staffer’ unleashes GBV fury

The department of education in the North West is investigating after someone purporting – at least – to be a member of staff this week took to social media to suggest that an SABC news anchor would “be killed”.

The since deleted post, published under the name Reggylegae Legae, read: “Listen to this woman who will be killed by people”. It also included a still from an interview between anchor Sakina Kamwendo and education director-general Mathanzima Mweli.

The interview was broadcast on Wednesday and in it Kamwendo drilled Mweli around the forced closure of schools as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and the 100-odd schools that had not yet been able to reopen.

According to his Facebook profile, Legae is an office manager at the North West department of basic education.

Kamwendo’s fellow anchor, Leanne Manas, shared screenshots of the offending post and of the apparent author’s Facebook profile, on Twitter.

“Absolutely unacceptable! You do not threaten journalists for asking the right questions!

“You claim to work for the department – I hope action is taken against you for this,” she wrote, tagging the department. “Deleting the post and changing your profile pic does not make it go away!”

Manas’ tweet was shared several hundred times and garnered widespread outrage on the platform.

One user commented: “These abusive statements against women support a culture where they can be criminalised and killed without fear.”

Another wrote: “He is disgusting!!!”

Yet another wrote: “This is Gender-Based Violence GBV the very thing that is a National Pandemic above Covid 19. Leanne, escalate this to the Office of the President & let’s see H..E. Ramaphosa walk the talk on this disgusting incident [sic].”

And another, who also tagged the department, wrote: “Disgusting from your management at North West… shocking that during a time where women are soft targets for abuse and murder..this is promoted [sic].”

Gender-based violence has again come to the fore in recent weeks, with President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier this month announcing that a total of 21 women had been killed over a period of 20 days.

Tshegofatso Pule was among them. The 28-year-old was found stabbed and hanged in the veld in Durban Deep earlier this month. She was eight months pregnant at the time of her death.

The Citizen yesterday sent questions to departmental spokespeople in the national and North West offices. Elias Malindi, who speaks for the latter, said the department had “noted the concern”.

“At the moment, the matter has been referred to the labour unit and the outcome will be communicated once it has been concluded,” he said.

– bernadettew@citizen.co.za

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