President of the ANC Women's League Bathabile Dlamini arrives at a press conference at the ANC's 54th National Elective conference at Nasrec, Johannesburg on 19 December 2017. Picture: Yeshiel Panchia
“There should be no bail for rape and there must be no parole for rapists. There must be chemical castration for those found guilty of rape,” she said on Sunday.
She was addressing ANC supporters who had come in their numbers to the party’s 108th anniversary celebration in Port Shepstone, on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal.
Dlamini also called on government to introduce gender studies in the education curriculum.
“Gender studies should be included in the curriculum. Judges, police and lawyers dealing with women abuse issues must be equipped to deal with such cases,” she said.
Her call comes after a spate of murders, rapes and kidnapping of women and children.
She said boys must be taught at a young age about issues affecting women, so that they grew up to be good men.
Dlamini said the names of those found guilty of rape – whose guilt had been proved through DNA tests – should be made public to protect women from having future relationships with them.
The ANC government needed to make sure that the economy created employment and supported women’s businesses, she added.
Premier Sihle Zikalala warned that the ANC’s 108th anniversary celebration was “not a mere festival for fun”.
“It is about time to pay homage and salute heroes and heroines, not to boast about how rich you are.
“On this day we salute MK veterans who fought for black people to be free in South Africa. We want to affirm that (former president FW) De Klerk did not liberate us, but freedom fighters did, and international community who put sanctions against the apartheid government to free South Africans,” he said.
He reiterated the ANC’s call for radical economic transformation.
“The people of South Africa shall have equal share of the economy. We’re unapologetic about radical transformation,” he said.
Some ANC supporters went into a frenzy when former president Jacob Zuma’s son Duduzane arrived at the venue with an entourage of bodyguards.
Some of the ANC NEC members who attended the rally were secretary general Ace Magashule, Jackson Mthembu, Lindiwe Zulu and Nocawe Mafu.
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