After five years of court delays, a Pretoria GBV victim says there’s nothing to celebrate this Women’s Month.
A Pretoria gender-based violence (GBV) victim said there was nothing to celebrate this Women’s Month after the case against her cop ex-boyfriend was postponed again.
Yesterday, Izelle Venter had to face her alleged abuser, a Hawks officer, in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court in a case of assault which has been dragging on for five years.
She will have to return next month to hear if the new application to get a state witness to testify will be granted and if the case will be postponed again.
‘One of the hardest things’ – GBV victim testifying against ex
Venter describes testifying against her ex-boyfriend, Jacques Loock, a captain in the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, as one of the hardest things she had to do.
“It feels like the defence keeps on playing for time. Delayed justice is justice denied,” she said.
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After the attack in February 2019, Venter spent five days recovering in an intensive care unit and was booked off from work for another six weeks.
“It makes me incredibly sad, I am the victim, the state doesn’t stand up for me. Instead it’s just one delay after the next. The accused has more rights than the victim,” she said.
Venter, who attended the first court hearing in March 2019, said she has lost count of how many times the case has been delayed.
Lost count of how many times case was delayed
“Nobody takes the time to explain to me what’s going on in court, it’s just the accused this and the accused that,” she said.
Venter said the worst of it all was that she couldn’t move on with her life or cut him out because the case was still ongoing.
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“For two months, everything is fine until the next court date, then I am traumatised again and then they postpone it again,” she said.
“It’s not fair. How must I carry on with my life? I sit with the trauma, while he was promoted in the force.”
Venter said she is still terrified of her alleged attacker because she was close to him.
Still terrified of attacker
“Although it happened in 2019, when that man walked around that corner this morning, I couldn’t face him. I am still scared of him,” she said.
Venter said there was no justice for GBV victims.
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“Not once in the past six years did anyone look at my rights, not once. What’s the point of going through all of this just to be disappointed,” she said.
Unchain Our Children founder Wayne van Onselen said they supported Venter in the presidential stance of zero tolerance against GBV, which the state and judiciary have made a mockery of.
“Five years on the roll, manipulation of the system and the only support given is from an NGO, GBV is out of control,” he said.
Court backlogs a nightmare for victims
Criminal law expert Cornelia van Graan said this matter was one of many and, daily, court cases are postponed for long periods. Backlogs at courts and procedural requirements were a nightmare for every victim.
“The court is bound by the victims charter which states that they have the right to be treated with fairness and with respect for dignity and privacy; the right to be attended to promptly and courteously; and treated with respect for your dignity and privacy by all members of any department, institution, agency or organisation or service provider.
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“The police [during the investigations], the prosecutors and court officials [during preparation for and during the trial proceedings] and all other service providers will take measures to minimise any inconvenience to you by, among others, conducting interviews with you in your language of choice and in private, if necessary,” she said.
Van Graan said these measures should prevent people from being subjected to secondary victimisation.
