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South Africa: Spotlight on Gender-based Violence
AfricaFocus Bulletin
September 12, 2019 (2019-09-12)
(Reposted from sources cited below)
Editor's Note
�Our nation is in mourning and pain. Over the past few days, our
country has been deeply traumatised by acts of extreme violence
perpetrated by men against women and children. These acts of
violence have made us doubt the very foundation of our democratic
society, our commitment to human rights and human dignity, to
equality, to peace and to justice. � Violence against women has
become more than a national crisis. It is a crime against our
common humanity.� - President Cyril Ramaphosa, September 5, 2019
This AfricaFocus Bulletin contains the full text of President
Ramaphosa�s address to the nation, as well as a link to a video of
the speech. Also included are links to a speech by former South
African first lady Gra�a Machel at a memorial for UCT student
Uyinene Mrwetyana, as well as links to a few other related
commentaries linking gender-based violence to xenophobic violence,
which was also addressed in President Ramaphosa�s speech.
Another AfricaFocus Bulletin sent out today and available at
http://www.africafocus.org/docs19/sa1909a.php
includes several analytical background commentaries on the
xenophobic violence, as well as additional links to other news and
commentaries.
For previous AfricaFocus Bulletins on South Africa, visit
http://www.africafocus.org/country/southafrica.php.
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South Africa is Burning
"Xenophobia and gender-based violence are two sides of the same
coin. They are connected... when Black men can't punch upwards at
their oppressors, they punch down at those they consider beneath
them." - @JJ_Bola
Thanks to amandla.mobi
for sharing this quote from London-based Kinshasa-born poet
J.J. Bola, as well as for engagement in countering the effects of
violence, such as the
looting of the Casual Workers Advice Office. The poster in the
photo on the right has appeared on multiple social media sites.
As noted in President Ramaphosa�s speech and in many comments such
as this in the Mail and Guardian, the violence
against immigrants and against women are converging in a crisis
moment for the future of South Africa and its failure to address
the gross inequalities that shape a climate of violence.
For a powerful speech by Gra�a Machel at memorial service for
University of Cape Town student Uyinene Mrwetyana, watch at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wPTflwu6W0 (18 minutes).
For several related reflections on the intersection of gender and
xenophobia, see these Daily Maverick articles from May 8, September 8, and
September 10.
*********************************************
Gender-based violence and xenophobia
The full speech by President Cyril Ramaphosa, September 5, 2019.
Watch video
on Youtube (18 minutes). -
Link to
published text of speech
My Fellow South Africans,
Our nation is in mourning and pain.
Over the past few days, our country has been deeply traumatised by
acts of extreme violence perpetrated by men against women and
children.
These acts of violence have made us doubt the very foundation of
our democratic society, our commitment to human rights and human
dignity, to equality, to peace and to justice.
As we have done before in times of great difficulty and strife,
this is the time to come together as a nation to confront our
problems directly.
The nation is mourning the deaths of several women and girls who
were murdered by men.
We know the names of Uyinene Mrwetyana, Leighandre Jegels, Janika
Mallo, Ayakha Jiyane and her three little siblings, but we also
grieve for many others who have died at the hands of men.
These killings have caused great pain and outrage because acts of
such brutality have become all too common in our communities.
Violence against women has become more than a national crisis.
It is a crime against our common humanity.
Today I speak to you as your President, and as a citizen of our
country.
But I also speak to you as a husband and a father to my daughters.
Like millions of men across this country, I am appalled at the war
being waged on our sisters, our mothers, our wives, our partners
and our daughters.
Women have every right to expect that they be free from harassment
and violence on the streets, in schools and campuses, on buses,
taxis and trains, at places of work and worship, and in their
homes.
We have heard the calls of the women of our country for action and
for justice.
The collective anger, the pain and the fear that these killings
have caused must strengthen our resolve to end all forms of
violence and abuse perpetrated by men against women.
We have recorded progress on the implementation of the decisions of
the Presidential Summit on Gender-Based Violence last year.
Working together, government and civil society formations, have
already made much progress towards establishing and resourcing a
national machinery to coordinate our campaign against gender-based
violence.
We are reviewing laws on domestic violence and sexual offences to
prioritise the needs and interests of survivors.
We have established 92 dedicated Sexual Offences Courts since 2013,
with a further 11 to be opened this financial year to improve
conviction rates and provide comprehensive and appropriate support
services to ensure survivors of sexual offences are not subject to
further trauma.
I wish to enumerate some of the additional measures we will be
taking.
We are going to overhaul and modernise the national register of
gender-based violence offenders provided for in the Sexual Offences
Act to ensure it is effective in combating gender-based violence.
This National Register of Offenders will list all the men convicted
of acts of violence against women and children.
I will ask Parliament to consider amending the legislation to make
the register public.
I will propose to Cabinet that all crimes against women and
children should attract harsher minimum sentences.
We agree with the women of our country that the state should oppose
bail and parole for perpetrators of rape and murder against women
and children.
Many women�s organisations have complained that there aren�t enough
rehabilitation programmes in our prisons.
These programmes will be increased and reconfigured to reduce the
number of repeat offenders.
All gender-based violence cases that have been closed or that were
not properly investigated must be reviewed.
We will strengthen the emergency teams at a provincial level �
which bring together the police, social development, health,
justice and education � to continue providing rapid and
comprehensive responses to all forms of violence against women.
These emergency response teams will focus in particular on violence
directed at women, children and other marginalised groups including
the LGBTQIA Plus community and people with disabilities.
We will address other systemic challenges such as the backlog of
cases, delays in DNA testing and the availability of rape test kits
in our police stations.
We will use every means at the disposal of the state � from the
police service to the justice system, from social development
programmes to our school curriculum � to strengthen all parts of
our national response to gender-based violence.
We will implement a national multi-faceted plan to prevent gender-
based violence through school programmes, community initiatives and
workplace policies.
The Minister of Finance will be asked to allocate additional
funding to the national machinery to coordinate our campaign
against gender-based violence.
The women of our country are calling for emergency measures to end
this violence.
I will therefore be asking Parliament to discuss and identify
urgent interventions that can be implemented without delay.
Violence against women is not a women�s problem.
It is not a problem of what a woman said or did, what a woman was
wearing, or where she was walking.
Violence against women is a men�s problem.
It is men who rape and kill women.
There is therefore an obligation on the men of this country to act
to end such behaviour and such crimes.
As men, let us speak out.
We must not look away.
We must face gender-based violence head-on.
Let us, as families, make sure that we raise boys to respect women,
to respect themselves, to value life and human dignity.
We acknowledge the men and boys who have heeded the call to respect
women by participating in the Takuwani Riine Men and Boys Campaign.
We also acknowledge others who are championing change towards a
South Africa that is free of violence by 2030.
As South African men, let us take responsibility for our actions.
We must treat the women and girls of our country with care and
respect.
It is only when we do that that we will end violence against women
and children.
Let us declare that enough is enough.
Fellow South Africans,
Over the past few days, our country has been deeply traumatised by
acts of violence and criminality directed against foreign nationals
and our own citizens.
As I speak to you, the debris of several days of violence and
looting continues to litter many of the streets of our country.
People have lost their lives and many have been injured.
Families have been traumatised. Livelihoods have been destroyed.
We know that at least 10 people have been killed in this violence,
two of whom were a foreign nationals.
No amount of anger and frustration and grievance can justify such
acts of destruction and criminality.
There can be no excuse for the attacks on the homes and businesses
of foreign nationals, just as there can be no excuse for xenophobia
or any other form of intolerance.
Equally, there is no justification for the looting and destruction
of businesses owned by South Africans.
The people from other countries on our continent stood with us in
our struggle against apartheid.
We worked together to destroy apartheid and overcome the divisions
it created, where we feared each other and our differences were
exploited.
Thanks to the people of Africa, we have now achieved democracy and
must use this platform to live together in harmony.
We value our relations with other African countries and need to
work to strengthen political, social and trade ties if we are to
develop our economy and those of our neighbours.
Where communities have genuine grievances these must be addressed
through engagement and dialogue.
But where people act with criminal intent, irrespective of their
nationality, we will not hesitate to act to uphold the law and
ensure order and stability.
We commend our law enforcement and security agencies who have moved
swiftly to restore stability in Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, Tshwane
and parts of KwaZulu-Natal.
The violence has largely subsided and police have increased
reinforcements and visibility in priority areas to ensure the
safety of all within South African borders.
The criminal justice system is ready to deal with perpetrators of
violence, looting and lawlessness.
Since Sunday, 423 people have been arrested for violence-related
offences in Gauteng and 21 suspects have been arrested in relation
to truck violence in KwaZulu-Natal.
I am calling upon each one of us to desist from fueling a climate
of fear and confusion.
We must act responsibly and stop disseminating fake videos,
photographs and messages, especially on social media, with an
intention of negatively portraying our country and its people.
This misinformation is also being disseminated in neighbouring
countries and throughout the world, causing panic and putting lives
in danger.
Let us not be misled.
Let us not be provoked by those who want to sow mistrust and fuel
conflict.
This is a time for calm.
It is a time for all of us who live in this country to confront our
challenges directly and earnestly, not through violence, but
through dialogue.
We call on all religious leaders and communities to lead the
country in prayer and contemplation this Friday, Saturday and
Sunday.
In all churches, mosques, synagogues and temples, let us humble
ourselves and bring healing to our nation.
As a nation, we have endured moments of uncertainty before.
As a nation, we have overcome conflict and achieved peace.
Now, as a nation, let us once again work together to end the
violence that has engulfed our streets, and damaged our economy and
confidence in our country.
Let us once again, as a nation, work together to end the violence
against the women and children of our country.
Let us build the South Africa we want, and which all our people so
richly deserve.
I thank you.
AfricaFocus Bulletin is an independent electronic publication
providing reposted commentary and analysis on African issues, with
a particular focus on U.S. and international policies. AfricaFocus
Bulletin is edited by William Minter.
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