Domestic violence and the many incidents in the province were highlighted during the recent launch of the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children.
Mr Vusi Shongwe, MEC for community safety, security and liaison, said that the withdrawal of domestic-violence cases was among the factors contributing to abuse of women and children. He remarked that people who reported these incidents and later withdrew them had to be arrested. He said this had an impact on the SAPS as a resource and time was devoted to thoroughly investigate these cases.
According to Shongwe, the actions of these people encourage the perpetrators to continually abuse women and children as they know the victims will withdraw the cases against them. Statistics also continue to show an increase in these crimes.
The MEC told his audience that women had to stop protecting abusers just because they were the family’s breadwinners. “All cases should be reported because police won’t know if people are being abused, unless reported to the relevant authorities. It is the duty of the victim to present reliable information to the police so that the perpetrator is prosecuted and we stop him from harming more people,” said Shongwe.
He told parents to keep their daughters from drinking when underage as this exposes them to abuse and rape by the men who buy the alcohol in taverns. He added that the establishments which did not comply with regulations and allowed underaged people on their premises had to be closed down.
Mpumalanga Acting Provincial Police Commissioner, Maj Gen Meshack Nogwanya, also spoke at the event. He supported the MEC by saying that, according to their records, a lot of abuse cases where alcohol was involved had been reported.
The commissioner stated that police would be raiding taverns during the festive season to ensure that operators are authorised and that they comply with their operating licenses. “I have ordered police in the province to permanently close down all non-compliant taverns. We are declaring a war against them and also against those who own scrapyards dealing with stolen vehicles. We will also monitor all ports of entry in the province to make certain that no illegal goods such as drugs are smuggled into the province,” he said.
Mpumalanga chairman of traditional leaders, Kgoshi Lameck Mokoena concluded the event by saying that men shouldn’t use tradition to perpetrate abuse. He stated that as traditional leaders they discourage marrying a woman forcefully (ukuthwala) as it promotes gender-based violence. Mokoena also assured the MEC that traditional leaders support initiatives to fight crime and domestic violence in communities.
