JOHANNESBURG, August 18 (ANA) – Men and boys should stand in solidarity with other stakeholders in the fight against gender-based violence to help communities combat atrocities against women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities, the Commission for Gender Equality said on Friday.
“Let this month be the turning point in the struggle for gender justice in South Africa. We must ensure that women’s lives are not dominated by fear and insecurity. Many women feel like “the hunted” in their own homes, in their communities and in their workplaces, indeed even in places of worship,” the commission said in a statement.
“We have recently observed that it is also a matter of power relations, where more powerful women in positions of leadership, including women who are politically connected, are also capable of committing atrocities against the weak and vulnerable.”
The Commission said it would seek an urgent meeting with the Ministry of the Police to discuss the role of the police in high the protection of women; children; the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community; and men from gender based violence.
The Commission added that it also wanted to discuss the role of the police in recent high-profile cases involving Deputy minister of Higher Education, Mduduzi Manana and Zimbabwean First Lady Grace Mugabe.
On August 10, Manana, 34, was granted R5,000 bail in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on two counts of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm. Manana, 34, allegedly assaulted Mandisa Duma at a Fourways, Johannesburg, nightclub last weekend. Earlier this week he issued a public apology but said he had acted following “extreme provocation”. The case was postponed to September 13.
Meanwhile, Police Minister Fikile Mbalula on Thursday, said that the South African Police Service has been keeping tabs on Grace Mugabe, who is accused of assaulting two young women in Johannesburg, to ensure that she doesn’t leave the country. He said her matter was different from that of “somebody else” because she has sought to invoke diplomatic immunity.
Twenty-year-old model Gabriella Engels has accused Grace Mugabe of assaulting her while she was visiting Mugabe’s sons in a hotel room in an upscale Johannesburg suburb. The woman claims the first lady’s bodyguards stood by and watched as Mugabe attacked her. Engels posted several photos on social media showing a gash in her forehead, which she said was a result of the alleged assault.
On Friday, the Commission said it was concerned about the inconsistencies that “arise due to systemic issues in the judicial wherein cases of gender-based violence take too long to prosecute in the process the victim suffers secondary victimisation”.
“It is our collective duty and responsibility as a nation to take whatever steps are necessary to protect the weak, vulnerable and subordinate from the violence perpetrated not only by men, but also by those in positions of power and authority such as the recent saga involving the Zimbabwean First Lady, Madam Grace Mugabe,” the Commission said.
“The Commission’s Constitutional mandate “to promote respect for gender equality and the protection, development and attainment of gender equality” places upon it the burden to ensure that our country observes the right of women to be protected against gender-based violence.”
The Commission had its quarterly plenary meeting from August 16 to 18, in Johannesburg.
– African News Agency (ANA)
