South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on the Police Service to identify and bring to justice those responsible for the killing of women and children in different parts of the country.
President Ramaphosa who made this call in a statement, also urged on South Africans to end the culture of silence and report perpetrators to the South African Police Service (SAPS).
“I urge the SAPS to act swiftly to track down whoever was involved in these murders 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.’’
“For public faith in the criminal justice system to be maintained, gender-based violence needs to be treated with the urgency it deserves by our communities working together with our police.’’
“It is a dark and shameful week for us as a nation. Criminals have descended to even greater depths of cruelty and callousness. It simply cannot continue.
“We note with disgust that at a time when the country is facing the gravest of threats from the pandemic, violent men are taking advantage of the eased restrictions on movement to attack women and children.’’
“Tshegofatso Pule, who was eight months pregnant, was found stabbed to death and hanging from a tree in an open veld. It is also suspected one of the murdered Eastern Cape women was a victim of a mob killing.”
“According to the SAPS, there has been an increase in violent crime, especially murders since we entered alert level 3. We need to understand what factors are fuelling this terrible trend and, as society as a whole, address them urgently.’’
“In far too many cases of gender-based violence, the perpetrators are known to the victim, but they are also known to our communities. That is why we say this is a societal matter and not a matter of law enforcement alone.
“Gender-based violence thrives in a climate of silence. With our silence, by looking the other way because we believe it is a personal or family matter, we become complicit in this most insidious of crimes’’, President Ramaphosa stated.
He gave out the following numbers to the members of the public who may have useful information about the perpetrators : Crime Stop Hotline on 08600 10111 or send an anonymous SMS to Crime Line at 32211, or to call the Gender-Based Violence Command Centre at 0800 428 428
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