EMPD fails women during march on Women’s Day
Debeila said the DA in Ekurhuleni will not accept the unfair treatment of women in the city
On National Women’s Day, the women of Tembisa in Ekurhuleni organised a march to highlight the ongoing abuse of women and children.
The women also marched to plea for a shelter or a home for victims of domestic and sexual abuse as there is currently not a single shelter for victims of domestic and sexual abuse in Tembisa.
According to the DA PR Clr Maserishane Debeila, they have met with the SAPS event management team to ensure that protocol is followed and to discuss the official route for the day.
“The route was approved and permission was granted by the SAPS management team. We also arranged and confirmed police escort for the day, to be facilitated by the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD). On the day of the march, we were incredibly surprised when the time we were given to march came and went without the availability of the EMPD. The EMPD team was meant to arrive at the meeting point at 8am but they failed to do so,” said Debeila.
Debeila emphasised at 10am, after numerous calls and following up, the EMPD finally arrived but they left her and the marchers mid-march without any notice or explanation.
“Owing to the EMPD’s unreliability, my team and I were forced to control both the marchers and the traffic. This is totally unacceptable because we made arrangements with the EMPD timeously.
“I, therefore, need answers from the EMPD management. Why is it that this metro does not take women seriously? This was very evident when EMPD officials totally disregarded women on National Women’s Day,” added Debeila.
Debeila said the DA in Ekurhuleni will not accept the unfair treatment of women in the city or tolerate incompetence by metro officials.
At the time of going to print, no comment has been received.
