South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday, for the second time in as many weeks, called on the police and communities to cooperate in fighting growing incidents of gender-based violence (GBV) since the country eased coronavirus lockdown restrictions last week.
The country has seen several women and children killed by both unknown people and those close to them, with their bodies dumped in bushes or isolated areas.
Ramaphosa expressed concerned that the country had one of the highest levels of intimate partner violence in the world, and that 51 percent of the women had experienced violence at the hands of a relation.
“In far too many cases of gender-based violence, the perpetrators are known to the victim, but they are also known to our communities,” Ramaphosa said.
He added: “That is why we say this is a societal matter, and not a matter of law enforcement alone, and that gender-based violence thrives in a climate of silence.”
He noted that by keeping silent and “looking the other way because we believe it is a personal or family matter, we become complicit in this most insidious of crimes.”
Due to the serious nature of this development, the president said he would be deploying ministers and their deputies to engage community leaders on this upsurge in GBV, and seek ways of preventing the killing of women and children.
“I urge the South African Police Service to act swiftly to track down whoever was involved in the murders of women in the past week, and ensure there is justice for the murdered women and children.
“I also urge our communities to end the culture of silence and speak up. In doing so, you will be saving lives,” Ramaphosa said.
NM/jn/APA