After much outcry and calls for the gender-based violence against women to be declared a state of emergency, President Cyril Ramaphosa broke his silence on the matter. Women in the country have expressed how unsafe they feel, as there were reports of a woman or child being murdered on nearly a daily basis in the past week, spawning social media hashtags such as #aminext.
Addressing the brutal murders of Uyinene Mrwetyana and boxing champion Leighandre Jegels, Ramphosa said that South Africa is currently facing a dark period. While he commended police for the arrests of the suspects who were linked to both the brutal murders, he said the rapes, assaults and murders of women are staining the country’s conscience.
Overwhelmingly what we need is strengthened accountability and bold leadership that says we will not tolerate femicide and violence, we will act firmly against it and we will consciously invest in rebuilding our social fabric in ways that align…
— Cyril Ramaphosa ?? (@CyrilRamaphosa) September 3, 2019
… with the values of human dignity, equality, respect and freedom in our Constitution. We will rebuild our social fabric through preventing violence from happening and meaningfully addressing toxic attitudes and discrimination towards all womxn –
— Cyril Ramaphosa ?? (@CyrilRamaphosa) September 3, 2019
A 42-year-old man confessed to the murder and rape of 19-year-old Mrwetyana, and left the gallery shocked when he said that she “made it difficult” for him while he bludgeoned her to death with a scale, as she took long to die. According to Ramaphosa, her murder is just one of many which highlights just how unsafe South African women are – in their homes, or in the streets.
On Monday, a 14-year-old was found murdered and raped in the her grandmother’s backyard, adding to the already sky-high body count of women whose lives were taken this year alone.
Picture: Pixabay
