Women raising their voices in a march

Women from Duvha Power together with Duvha community women marched to hand over a memorandum to Duvha Power Station management and the police.

The march was held on Friday, July 21 and the women said that they wanted to serve management with a memorandum with the aim of conveying a message that as women of this country they are tired of people violating women and children’s rights even at the work place.

Women from Duvha Power together with Duvha community women members marching before they hand over a memorandum to Duvha Power Station management and the police.

“We want to showcase that we uphold our rights and putting a stop to woman and child abuse or killings and demand more security and police visibility. As entire Duvha Power Station Women and community members we are living in fear because perpetrators who are waiting to abduct us and our children could be roaming around the streets along with the rest of the people. The stealing of women and children increases day by day and we have nowhere to run to and killings even entered our work places. It is high time that our cries be heard and attended to by Eskom before another killing embark in to our premises,” reads part of the memorandum.

The marches also highlighted some of the recent incidents within the community and work places:

*A mother and her three children were found dead in a bedroom at their home in eMalahleni.
*Report of the sexual abuse of a child in school and the education department has to investigate.
*19 children have been murdered in the Western Cape since the beginning of the year.
*Women are also the victims of human trafficking.
*Women are being emotionally and physically abused at home and the work place by their superiors.
*Thembisile Yende, 30, an Eskom employee found dead in her office at one of the power utility’s substations in Springs.

“We say enough is enough now, we cannot tolerate men who take the weakness of women to their advantage by turning them into punching bags.”

Women from Duvha Power marching together with Duvha community women members on Friday, July 18. The marchers handed over a memorandum to Duvha Power Station management and the police.

The women and children demand the following:

*Eskom to provide proper answers to the Yende’s Family and Employees regarding the passing away of their daughter within Eskom Premises.
*That cameras be installed at the passages and areas where it is not safe for women to work alone especially at OPS Department. Cameras to be checked and be in working condition at all times.
*Where there is a need for fencing and lights to be installed, Duvha Village is one of the areas needing consideration.
*A 24 hour security in the plant and offices including Duvha Village.
*All Contractors and Visitors permits should be taken away with immediate effect once they leave or contracts expire or come to an end.
*There must be a weapon detector at all security gates to safeguard employees; this will ensure no weapon enters the premises.
*Women not to be allowed to work alone even during standby at night because they are intimidated.
*Car parking outside the premises is not safe especially during the night where a woman has to walk alone during outages/projects , therefore we demand that the Cabs be made available at all times to transport employees from the station to outside the gate and vice versa.
*Employees be sent for self-defense courses and this must be a priority like other safety courses taking place within Eskom and this should be yearly and be implemented with immediate effect.
*Street Lights to be installed at Main road to Duvha and up to Duvha village.
*Ensure the security check takes place in all areas 24hrs during office and out of office hours, this includes unused offices and a register to be kept.
*Must do away with unused stores/offices.
*Eskom management to prioritise the safety of their staff not by skin colour or their job level or gender.
*We demand that Eskom give us surety of our safety especially as women within the work place as Yende’s death is the latest in a string of incidents of gender based violence in the country and made us women to wonder if we are at the right place of National Key Point.

Having raised these issues as women we demand full support and commitment from your office in ensuring our demands are met as we will not rest and we believe that this memorandum will be highly appreciated, be taken as priority and be responded to within seven working days.

ALSO READ

https://www.citizen.co.za/witbank-news/94163/march-abuse-women-children/

https://www.citizen.co.za/witbank-news/82506/say-no-to-women-and-children-abuse/