Recent murders of women in Ekurhuleni should not be left to shock the nation and tarnish South Africa's reputation abroad.
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The recent murders of women in Ekurhuleni should not be left to shock the nation and tarnish South Africa’s reputation abroad – a multipronged strategy that mobilises all sectors of society to confront gender-based violence (GBV) is needed.
Safer South Africa Foundation chair Zizamele Cebekhulu-Makhaza said the fight cannot be left to the police alone.
GBV fight cannot be left to police alone
Communities, professionals such as psychiatrists, prosecutors and the judiciary must all be part of the solution.
“We need to mobilise as a society. But my worry is the criminal justice system, which does not impose stringent punitive measures on offenders,” he said.
His comments come as at least 12 women have been murdered in separate incidents across Ekurhuleni in the past three months.
Bodies discovered near Kempton Park, Tembisa, Springs and Dawn Park have sparked suspicions that a serial rapist or killer is behind the deaths, igniting nationwide protests and calls for urgent action. Yet no arrests have been made.
Cebekhulu-Makhaza, a former president of the Police Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru), criticised the criminal justice system’s fragmented approach.
“Saps, justice, the National Prosecuting Authority and correctional services are working in silos and that is concerning.
Popcru criticised justice system’s fragmented approach
“Their operational layout is scattered, incoherent and riddled with loopholes. If they worked together, they could do more, from planning and execution to monitoring offender behaviour behind bars and producing proper crime statistics reports,” he said.
He lashed out at the police’s flawed crime statistics, which focus only on numbers. Instead, he argued, statistics should track convictions, offender behaviour after sentencing and reintegration outcomes to provide a fuller picture of criminality.
Cebekhulu-Makhaza said prevention is key and tackling social issues that give rise to crime early is more effective than reacting after violence has occurred.
Popcru established the Safer SA Foundation precisely to address criminality beyond policing, recognising the government alone cannot solve the problem.
The foundation has rolled out nationwide school-based programmes to educate pupils about crime and criminality as a preventive measure.
Plans are underway to integrate GBV into these programmes, ensuring children learn early that violence against women is unacceptable.
Targeting hotspot schools in nine provinces
Former national police commissioner and current Safer SA Foundation CEO Ria Phiyega said at Popcru’s recent central executive committee meeting the foundation targets hotspot schools in all nine provinces.
Parents are invited to participate so they can better understand their children’s behaviour.
Pupils are also exposed to the workings of the criminal justice system, seeing firsthand what happens to offenders.
Furthermore, with the foundation’s support, schools are encouraged to test food sold on premises for drug lacing and poisoning as a proactive measure.
Cebekhulu-Makhaza said society must intervene nationally.
“All of us are focusing on criminals who have graduated, but not on how we stop crime, including GBV, from happening at an early stage,” he said.
Society must intervene nationally
He dismissed the idea of employing school security guards as a solution, calling it “reactive”.
Instead, he argued that schools and communities must be informed of basic laws to dispel the notion that ignorance of the law is an excuse. This forms part of the foundation’s future programmes.
Popcru called on the national government to adopt its proactive anticrime strategy, already being implemented in schools nationwide through the union-initiated foundation.
The union has presented the programme to government, calling for prevention and education be placed at the centre of SA’s fight against GBV and criminality.
